Stocks of frozen and chilled meats, January 1, 2021
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Released: 2021-02-11
During the fourth quarter of 2020, there were disruptions to the food supply chain because of temporary closures and production slowdowns at slaughter and meat processing facilities resulting from COVID-19, which affected the stocks of frozen and chilled meats.
Stocks of frozen and chilled meats in cold storage totalled 116 627 tonnes as of January 1, 2021, down 9.6% from January 1, 2020. The overall decrease was largely attributed to lower pork stocks as a result of higher exports.
Stocks of frozen pork continued to account for the largest amount of frozen and chilled meat available in Canada (66 310 tonnes), followed by stocks of frozen beef (36 288 tonnes).
Chart 1
Canadian quarterly stocks of frozen and chilled meats
Despite increases in hog slaughter in the fourth quarter, higher demand for pork exports in 2020 contributed to a 16.9% year-over-year decline in stocks of frozen pork in cold storage facilities as of January 1.
Temporary closures of beef processing facilities because of COVID-19 outbreaks in the fourth quarter resulted in fewer cattle slaughtered. Nevertheless, stocks of frozen beef were up 11.2% year over year as of January 1.
Seasonal demand for beef products typically declines leading into the first quarter, and with lockdown measures in place limiting most restaurants to take-out services, demand for beef may have been lower than usual. These factors may have contributed to the increase in beef stocks in cold storage facilities as of January 1.
Quebec held almost half of the stocks of frozen pork (49.4%) nationally as of January 1, while Alberta held over one-third of the stocks of frozen beef (38.4%).
Chart 2
Quarterly stocks of frozen and chilled pork meats, by province
Chart 3
Quarterly stocks of frozen and chilled beef meats, by province
Note to readers
This release contains national data on stock holdings for various cuts of pork, beef, veal, mutton and lamb and for fancy meats and regional data for total red meats. This release also includes the holdings of imported meat at the national level for the same periods.
The data for October 1, 2020, on stocks of frozen and chilled meats, domestic and imported, have been revised with this release.
The Agriculture and food statistics portal, accessible from the Subjects module of our website, provides users with a single point of access to a wide variety of information related to agriculture and food.
Contact information
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