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Canadians’ food choices have shifted

Canadians’ food choices have shifted

See what 50 years of food supply data says about eating habits across the country

By Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Canadians today are consuming less beef, less milk and soda and more flour-based carbs compared to 50 years ago. 

Since the 1960s, a more diverse population, changing health trends and a globalized food chain has altered what Canadians eat, a CBC article said on Tuesday.

CBC News examined food availability data in Canada since 1960, measured as the total retail weight of foods divided by the Canadian population, the article said. This approach doesn’t calculate how much food was consumed, but rather how much was available to eat.

Indeed, changes in food availability depict changes in consumption patterns.

Potatoes were the largest source of carbohydrates until the mid 2000s, when wheat flour consumption surged upwards. There is now about the same amount of either source available, the article said.

“It shows how much the Canadian meal has changed,” Malek Batal, a professor of public nutrition at the University of Montreal, said in the article.

“A typical meal was meat and potatoes. With the changing cultural makeup of Canada, this might have evolved to pasta.”

The consumption of beef has declined over the years.

The peak years for beef were during the 1970s with nearly 37 kilograms available per person. This value is now close to half of that, the article said.

Chicken is the most popular protein source today, with 25 kilograms of chicken and turkey meat per Canadian. 

In terms of fruit, bananas are the most abundant in Canada. Two decades ago, the banana overtook the domestic apple, the article said.

“It’s a perfect produce,” Sylvain Charlebois, dean of the faculty of management at Dalhousie University in Halifax and professor, said in the article.

“It has a natural envelope, so food safety is never an issue. It’s portable and you can eat it quickly.”

A food group that has seen little change is vegetables. Such produce as tomatoes, carrots, lettuce and onions have been in consistent availability for the last 50 years.    

Coffee has taken the top spot as the most plentiful fluid in Canada, bumping beer to a distant second, the article said. The popularity of Tim Hortons, Starbucks and Second Cup are to thank for this trend.

The availability of wine in Canada is growing though. A decade ago it overtook orange juice in litres available per Canadian, the article said. And it is because Canada is making better wine.

“There’s a lot of research now to make sure (the) grape industry is well supported,” Charlebois said.

“Our vineyards (are) becoming more efficient.”

For dairy products, almond and soy milk have taken a bite out of milk’s former share, the article said. Statistics Canada doesn’t have Canadian data for these beverages. But in the U.S., between 2011 and 2014, almond milk sales grew by 250 per cent and cow’s milk fell by seven per cent.   

“The biggest dietary fads in the last 10 years have been two things: dairy and gluten, with people saying we’re not cows, that we’re not supposed to be drinking milk,” Batal said in the article.

However, the popularity of milk by-products is on the rise. So, more cheese, cream and yogurt.

The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year, $3 billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments, to strengthen the agriculture and agri-food sector.

The partnership also grows trade, enhances research and innovation, and promotes collaboration to support Canadian commodities.  

 


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