Canada’s food industry from farm to global store shelves accounts for more than nine percent of the country’s annual wealth creation and 13 percent of jobs, says the Conference Board of Canada.
In a June 6 report published as part of its plan to develop a Canadian food strategy, the privately funded business research organization said the food industry is one of the key drivers of the Canadian economy.
But there are issues of regulation and competition that could impede the sector’s growth.
“We have the opportunity today to create the conditions that will support the food sector’s growth as an economic engine while also contributing to safe and healthy food choices, sustaining our environment and providing greater access to food in Canada and around the globe,” board president Anne Golden said in a statement releasing the report. “A more modern and effective food sector could become an even greater force for economic and social good than it is today.”
The report on the size of Canada’s food sector is the first of a series of reports the board plans before it publishes a proposed national strategy through its recently created Centre for Food in Canada that will lead the three-year process.
The report, Valuing Food, noted that Canadian food exports were worth $39 billion last year and created 350,000 jobs. Overall, the industry creates 2.3 million jobs.
And with a limited and well-fed domestic population, exports are the future growth path, said the report. It contrasts to Canadian protectionism in the sector.
“Canadian food sector companies seeking to expand significantly must focus on growing their business through exports,” said the report.
“Yet agriculture remains one of the most heavily protected of all Canada’s economic sectors. Canada protects some foods from import competition through high tariff rates, notably the supply management sectors of chicken, turkey, eggs, broiler hatching eggs and above all, dairy products.”
