Stocks of frozen and chilled meats, April 2017
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Released: 2017-05-24
Stocks of frozen and chilled meats in cold storage totalled 114 020 tonnes in April, largely unchanged from the same month a year earlier (-0.6%).
Stocks of frozen pork meats were down 4.2%, compared with April 2016.
In celebration of the country's 150th birthday, Statistics Canada is presenting snapshots from our rich statistical history.
At close to 114 000 tonnes, the total stocks of frozen and chilled meats held on April 1, 2017 in Canada is more than double the stocks on the same date in 1975.
On April 1, 1975, frozen and chilled beef accounted for more than half of total stocks in Canada (56%) while frozen and chilled pork accounted for 23%. The two commodities have reversed positions over time. As of April 1, 2017, frozen and chilled pork accounts for the majority of stocks (58%), while frozen and chilled beef accounts for 30%.
The price of fresh and frozen beef more than tripled (+248%) from 1979 to 2016, outpacing the increase in price for fresh and frozen pork (+182%) over the same period.
The total supply of pork increased by 228% from 1976 to 2015, driven by increases in production. The total supply of beef was 2% higher in 2015 than in 1976.
Note to readers
This release contains data on stock holdings for various cuts of pork, beef, veal, mutton and lamb, and fancy meats at the national level, as well as total red meats at the regional level. This release also contains the holdings of imported meat at the national level for the same periods.
Changes in methodology were made to the survey beginning with the April 2017 release. For more information on the methodology changes, consult the document The Integrated Business Statistics Program.
Contact information
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