Chicken Supply Dwindles, Prices Expected to Rise Across Canada
Montreal, QC – Consumers are facing increasing difficulty finding chicken at grocery stores and are seeing prices climb, a trend experts predict will continue for the foreseeable future. Canada is currently experiencing supply challenges with the popular poultry, leading to a surge in imports and anticipated price increases of 15 to 20% within the next six months.
According to Sylvain charlebois, agri-food industry specialist and visiting professor at McGill University, the issue stems from underestimation of demand. “We don’t produce enough chicken. What happens is that we miscalculate things. Obviously, chicken is subject to supply management, so we produce what we need. But because of what’s happening with beef, which is very expensive, more and more people are buying chicken. So, the demand for chicken was underestimated,” he explained.
To compensate for the shortfall in domestic production, Canada is importing record volumes of poultry, with a 200% increase in imports from the United States and a rise in shipments from Chile.
The rising cost of chicken is particularly concerning given its status as an affordable protein source.”This is not necessarily good news as chicken, really, is an animal protein that is perceived as affordable,” Charlebois stated.
The situation is compounded by persistently high beef prices, which are not expected to decline before summer 2027. This is likely to drive consumers towards chicken and pork, further increasing demand and possibly impacting prices across the board. Rotisserie chicken chains are also expected to feel the effects of the scarcity and may be forced to raise prices.
