How did COVID-19 affect food systems in Canada?

This fact sheet outlines three impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian food systems: an increase in home gardening, high transmission rates and concentration in the meat processing industry, and rising food insecurity.

• The pandemic led to an increase in home food production, with one in five Canadians starting to grow food at home. Two thirds of 2020 gardeners attributed this decision to the pandemic, citing concerns regarding food shortages and prices.
• Canada's meat processing industry is characterized by high concentration, with 85% of animals processed in three plants, all of which had COVID-19 outbreaks. In Alberta, meat and poultry facilities were linked to one in four COVID-19 cases by early May 2020.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). How did COVID-19 affect food systems in Canada? https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-12/sustainable-food-systems-covid.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. How did COVID-19 affect food systems in Canada? n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-12/sustainable-food-systems-covid.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=How did COVID-19 affect food systems in Canada? |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-12/sustainable-food-systems-covid.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndhow, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{How did COVID-19 affect food systems in Canada?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-12/sustainable-food-systems-covid.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }