For a long time, our Canadian food and beverage industry has been in the shadow of the U.S. industry. The U.S. market was 10X bigger and many products developed or produced in the U.S. would make their way to Canadian shelves. When products produced in Canada succeeded, the natural next step was to export to the U.S. The market was relatively easy to access; we had a free trade agreement and logistics were well established.
A lot has changed. 2025 was a tumultuous year, when our biggest trading partner decided to change the relationship. Access to the market is more challenging and the volatility in policies has many people perplexed. Oversight of food production and processing is changing in the U.S. and costs are fluctuating with tariffs going up and down. The future of the Canada United States Mexico (CUSMA) free trade agreement is uncertain, even with dozens of U.S. business associations lobbying for the status quo.
As we shift to develop domestic and new export markets, we should showcase the benefits of Canadian food and beverage to the world. Recently I have had calls from different parts of the world because people want to do business with dependable producers who will produce excellent, safe products.
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