The Canadian Statistics Agency said that fewer fresh fruits and vegetables were available to Canadians in 2022, due to factors such as ongoing supply chain issues, labor shortages, and rising prices.

It added that the amount of fresh fruit available decreased by more than five percent in 2022 compared to the previous year, to 72.9 kilograms per person.

Although there was a 12.7 percent increase in domestic fruit production, it was not enough to keep up with the increase in exports and the decline in imports, according to the Statistics Agency report released today.

The availability of fresh vegetables – excluding potatoes – reached 64.7 kilograms per person in 2022, a decrease of nearly six percent from 2021.

As with fruits, increases in vegetable production in Canada in 2022 were not sufficient to keep pace with higher exports and lower imports.

The agency also said that some sectors of the Canadian food industries experienced record production in 2022, but they also exported more food internationally compared to the previous year.

It explained that the entire industry was affected by pandemic-related supply chain issues, such as shipping delays, labor shortages, and product shortages.

Extreme weather, the war in Ukraine, and energy costs also heavily impacted global food prices last year.

Grocery prices rose by 9.8 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, the fastest pace since 1981.

In the same context, the latest report from the Statistics Agency said that the amount of milk available to Canadians also declined by nearly four percent in 2022 compared to the previous year.

The Canadian Statistics explained that the main reason for this is the decline in milk production.

Conversely, the availability of red meat increased by 4.3 percent in 2022, led by beef as cattle slaughter increased over the previous year, and the amount of poultry available to Canadians rose by 1.5 percent.