TORONTO -The rapidly changing ethnic face of Canadian society will influence what farmers grow in the future, a food industry conference heard.
Doree Kovalio, senior market development officer with Agriculture Canada, expects to see rapid growth in demand for buckwheat, quinoa and peas in the next 10 to 20 years.
At the Sial international food show and conference in Toronto in May, she compared their rise to chickpeas and lentils, which have become a significant export crop for western Canadian growers.
“It will be popular among domestic markets but also, if exporting, you will be able to tap into that,” said Kovalio.
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She advised producers to watch evolving consumer demands .
“Stay on top of that knowledge curve or else they’re just going to get left behind growing commodities rather than something that could be value added,” she said.
“People are looking for high protein, gluten-free and something with overall health benefits other than the traditional wheat and grains.”
Northern Quinoa Corporation of Kamsack, Sask., one of several businesses participating from the Prairies, grows and processes quinoa. It removes the bitterness from the crop to make it more palatable for consumers and so that it can be used in bakery blends to make tortillas and bread.
Michael Dutcheshen, the company’s sales manager, said small quinoa markets emerged 20 years ago among people with food sensitivities looking for alternatives and have now grown substantially in Canada and the United States.
“Nowadays, it’s more well known and people are willing to try something different, whether they have food allergies or not,” he said.
Kovalio cited food industry trends catering to special diets in sodium and sugar reduced and gluten-free and lactose-free products.
She said eastern Asian and North African populations in Canada are often lactose intolerant because milk is not a staple in their diets. Exotic flavours derived from spices instead of salt are another growth area, she said.
