| | Food exports presented in this issue refer to products and by-products of manufacture exported to other countries. These exports include edible food products, beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and animal feed. Edible food products refer to meats, milled and prepared cereals (oat groats, pasta, bakeries), refined oils, processed fruits and vegetables, processed potatoes and such food products as soups, sauces, wheat gluten and stuffed pasta. Food exports do not include raw commodities (animals and crops) and inedible crude animal and plant products. The proportion of food exports as a percentage of food and beverage manufacturing sales (1) is based on the value of food exports which is not adjusted for freight charges to the point of exit, insurance and other costs.
- Over the past decade (2008-2017), Alberta exported on average $3.1 billion of food and food products or 35% of the total agri-food exports. During the past five years (2013-2017), these exports have grown steadily, averaging almost $3.7 billion annually.
- In 2017, for the first time ever, food exports exceeded $4 billion. It was an increase of 5.6% from $3.9 billion in 2016. As a percentage of the total agri-food exports, food declined from 39% in 2016 to 36.7% in 2017, mainly due to higher exports of raw agriculture commodities
- Meat and meat products at $2.3 billion continued to account for the largest share of food exports in 2017 (56.6% of the total). Beef, at $1.7 billion, remained the largest meat export, with pork in second place. The next largest food exports were animal feeds, cereals milled and prepared, processed potatoes, oils and fats and beverages.
- Food exports represented 28.6% of food and beverage manufacturing sales in 2017, marginally down from 29.4% in 2016.
- The United States remained Alberta’s largest food export market, followed by China and Japan.
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