Fast Facts
Easy access & a quick read on labour market information highlights.
Canada’s Food & Beverage Manufacturing Industry
The food and beverage manufacturing industry is a key economic driver to the Canadian economy and the leading manufacturing sector employer.
- 280,000+ Canadians employed
- Exports to over 190+ countries
- 7,800+ businesses with the majority considered small to medium-sized (less than 100 employed)
- Approximately 70 per cent of goods sold to Canadians through grocery stores and restaurants
- Accounts for almost 1 in 5 of all manufacturing jobs, making it Canada’s largest manufacturing sector
- Achieved $117.8 billion in sales of manufactured goods in 2019
11 Subsectors of Canada’s Food and Beverage Manufacturing Industry
- Animal Food Manufacturing
- Grain and Oilseed Milling
- Sugar and Confectionary Product Manufacturing
- Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing
- Dairy Product Manufacturing
- Meat Product Manufacturing
- Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging
- Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing
- Other Food Manufacturing
- Beverage Manufacturing
- Cannabis Product Manufacturing
Canadian Food and Beverage Manufacturing Businesses by Sector
Total Food and Beverage Employers per Province
- Meat Product Manufacturing was the sub-sector with the largest workforce in 2020, employing 65,113 people, followed by Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing (46,691), Beverage Manufacturing (42,094) and Other Food Manufacturing (35,543).
- The highest concentration of businesses is in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia.
- Cannabis product manufacturing is the most recent sector addition to the food and beverage industry with the legalization of cannabis edibles occurring in 2019.