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The Daily. Thursday, June 14, 2001

Per-capita food consumption

Canadians continue to include more cereal products and lower-fat varieties of milk in their diets according to per-capita food consumption data.

The data also reflect changes in lifestyle patterns. For example, the growing number of coffee shops featuring traditional and speciality coffees has fuelled an increase in coffee consumption. In 2000, each Canadian drank just over 101 litres of coffee, up from 99 litres in 1999 and 96 litres in 1990.

After declining in the early 1990s, tea consumption is on the rise, perhaps in response to the growing availability of speciality teas and literature promoting the health benefits of tea. In 2000, Canadians sipped just over 70 litres per person, up from almost 68 litres in 1999, and only 42 litres in 1990.

In addition, consumers are eating more pasta, specialty and multi-grain breads, and cereal-based snacks. As a result, consumption of cereal products increased to almost 89 kilograms per person in 2000, up from 74 kilograms in 1990. Wheat flour accounted for just over 80% of all cereal products consumed.

Although consumers have shifted away from high-fat milk and butter, it appears that this shift has moderated. Following steady declines during the 1990s, consumption of fluid milk rebounded slightly in 2000 to 88 litres per person, up from just over 87 litres in 1999. Lower-fat varieties such as 1% and skim milk accounted for more than 29% of all milk consumed in 2000, more than double the level at the start of the 1990s.

Cheese consumption stood at about 12 kilograms per person in 2000, consistent with trends in the 1990s when each Canadian ate more than 11 kilograms a year. Butter consumption has stabilized, after dipping to historically low levels in the late 1990s. In 2000, each Canadian ate nearly 3 kilograms of butter, slightly below 1999 levels, but above the record low level of just over 2.5 kilograms in 1997.

According to data previously released in The Daily, red meat consumption reached 63 kilograms per person in 2000, down from 64 kilograms in 1999. A decrease in beef consumption contributed in large part to this decline, although beef still represented almost 50% of all red meat consumed. Per capita pork consumption reached close to 29 kilograms, its highest level since 1989.

Per-capita consumption of poultry reached 35 kilograms per person in 2000, up more than 1 kilogram per person from 1999. Each Canadian consumed 29 kilograms of chicken.

These data represent food available for consumption. They do not represent actual quantities of food consumed because they do not allow for losses, such as waste or spoilage, in stores, households, private institutions or restaurants.

Available on CANSIM: tables 20010, 20011 and 20019 and matrices 2259 and 2268-2272.

Historical consumption data for the years 1986 to 2000 for dairy products, beverages, eggs, pulses and nuts, sugars and syrups, cereals, meats and poultry, as well as detailed information on production, stocks, international trade and supplies used by manufacturers will be available in July in Food consumption in Canada, Part I (32-229-XIB, $26; 32-229-XPB, $35).

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Debbie Dupuis (1-800-465-1991; 613-951-2553; fax: 613-951-3868) or Sandra Falcone (613-951-8726), Agriculture Division.