Per Capita Meat Consumption

As the average wealth of Canadian consumers has consistently expanded in recent decades, consumers have had more disposable income to spend on meat, which is usually more expensive than other types of food. Additionally, meat consumption was boosted in the late 1990s with the rise in popularity of high-protein, low-carb diets. However, dietary trends have reversed in recent years and many consumers are seeking alternative diets, including vegan and vegetarian options. Furthermore, meat consumption declined substantially during the recession, as adverse economic conditions restricted the average consumer’s disposable income, causing many Canadians to consume less of most goods, including relatively expensive meat. This trend repeated during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 4.2% decline in 2020 alone.

Furthermore, the use of corn in ethanol has increased the cost of feed, which has caused the price of meat to rise as well. These pressures continued to add on in the coming years and only kept consumption levels pressured in 2021 even amid rising red meat prices, which signaled that there was still a strong enough market clamoring for more types of these products in the industry. However, pressures faced by cattle herders by having to face more pressures in the form of continued lockdowns and also having to compete with other products in the time that were similarly priced at a higher rate worked against per capita consumption which worked against more consumers from buying more goods because of these hikes despite the prices of these products rising regardless. In 2022, even as these pressures have continued, a reopened market in the period helped spurred more consumption again, especially amid a rather resilient market that embraced inflation but did not entirely slow down their consumption levels mainly because more markets reopened, which means having to operate and function at a higher rate. As Canada decided to lift remaining travel restrictions in the year, tourism spiked up concurrently, which also played a role in rising consumption rates of more items from those visiting the country. While this driver measures those living in the country, having a larger influx of people visiting a country will play a role in the need for higher consumption rates amid those living there needing to buy more products to supplement visiting tourists that could be family or friends residing at their places. Other factors, from escalating migration rates into the country, also left consumption rates higher by having a proportionally higher rate of people now residing in these areas for future periods, which helps fend off traces and cases of out-migration or people moving out of the country in the respective period. As a result, per capita meat consumption is expected to expand in 2023 and 2024.