Canadian meat production
In 2021, the volume of beef produced in Canada amounted to 1.35 million metric tons. Canada’s meat processing companies manufacture a wide variety of meat products ranging from fresh and frozen meat to processed, smoked, canned, cooked, as well as sausage and deli meats. The meat product manufacturing industry in Canada generated some 5.85 billion Canadian dollars in gross domestic product in December 2021, up over 200 thousand Canadian dollars in the same month in the previous year.Meat trade
Led by pork and beef, meat is one of Canada’s highest valued agro-food exports. In 2021, the value of beef and veal exported from Canada amounted to 4.45 billion Canadian dollars and the export volume of pork amounted to about 1.48 million metric tons. In 2020, import volume of beef and veal into Canada was around 249,000 metric tons and was expected to decrease to 225,000 metric tons in the next year.Reducing meat consumption
The Canadian meat industry is widely recognized for well-established safety standards of the highest quality as overseen by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). However, many Canadians are willing to reduce their meat consumption or cut meat entirely out of their diets. A recent survey of Canadian consumers found that 36 percent were willing to reduce the amount of meat they consumed. The top reasons Canadians were considering cutting out beef from their diets were concern for their overall health and concern for the environment.
