National & Regional Data
Canada’s food and beverage manufacturing industry was made up of nearly 15,000 (2024) establishments contributing $35.2B (2023) to Canada’s GDP and directly employing over 315,000 people (2024). In the same year, the value of Canadian food and beverage exports was estimated at $59.7B accounting for 7.6% of Canada’s total exports.
Sector Profiles
There are over 8,800 food and beverage processing businesses operating in the sector that employ at least one person and the vast majority of these establishments are small or medium-sized businesses, with roughly 91% of food and beverage processors in Canada having fewer than 100 paid employees.
Labour Market Tightness
While this concept applies to economic sectors in Canada it is particularly serious for food and beverage manufacturers — especially those located in semi-rural and rural regions of the country.
