The Far-Reaching Impacts of Climate Change on Canadian Food Systems

Written by: Iris Bisson

Edited by: Othmane Oukrid

Introduction

As 61% of Canadians recognize, climate change is affecting Canada’s ability to produce food (Charlebois, 2023). However, climate-related disruptions are not just about not being able to produce enough food. Climate change disrupts the entire food system in complex, multi-sectoral ways. According to Health in a Changing Climate report, climate change will impact “both food security (i.e., stable access to sufficient and nutritious food to meet dietary needs and food preferences for healthy lives) and food safety (i.e., access to food that is not contaminated with pathogens or chemical contaminants at levels that could lead to adverse health effects)” (Schnitter & Berry, 2019). As we will see, climate change will alter the conditions in which as well as the way in which food can be grown, and this will affect how we as consumers access and are in turn affected by the food we eat.

1. Effects on food production - the most direct effect

1.1 Higher mean temperatures

At first glance, global warming might seem like an opportunity for Canadian agriculture. As mean seasonal temperatures rise, winters are milder and less damaging for crops. Growing seasons are longer, increasing crop yield because the land can be used more times per season. Warmer-weather crops, like corn and soybeans, can be planted in areas that were previously too cold (Government of Canada, 2020). Warmer winters also mean lower energy costs associated with keeping livestock warm and increased survival rates for young animals (Northbridge Insurance, 2022).

However, higher mean seasonal temperatures are associated with greater overwinter survival of pests and diseases (Government of Canada, 2020). Longer, hotter summers harm livestock health, reducing milk, egg, and meat production as well as increasing cooling costs for producers in the summer months (Government of Canada, 2020). On the one hand, thawing permafrost will make some northern Canadian land suitable for farming; a good thing when considering only 7% of Canadian territory is fit for agriculture today (McGrenere, 2020). On the other hand, however, it contributes to rising sea levels and storms, with the subsequent salt intrusion compromising soil quality.

1.2 Unpredictable and extreme weather events

Though frost-free seasons are longer, they are marked by a challenging variability. According to the Canada Research Chair in Climate Change Risk and Resilience, “heat stress during critical periods of crop development may reduce yield” (UNDRR, 2024), especially during the flowering period for crops like wheat and canola. In 2012, Ontario apple and strawberry growers saw this first-hand: after trees bloomed earlier than seasonal norms, an early fall frost event resulted in an 80% loss of apple crops and a 50% loss of strawberry crops (Harper et. al., 2021). Variable last-spring and first-fall frost make it hard for farmers to plan seeding and harvesting, particularly for tree fruit crops (Government of Canada, 2020).

Floods are particularly damaging to fruits and vegetables, waterlogging the soil to the point that their roots can no longer breathe (UNDRR, 2024). Wetter springs can delay seeding and accelerate soil erosion. Extreme events, like wildfires or floods, may force entire farms to relocate or cause power shortages which disrupt automated milking, feeding, and heating of livestock (Government of Canada, 2020).

2. Effects on food availability - higher prices

Climate change drives up food prices both directly and indirectly. Since changing weather patterns decrease yields, less produce is available for the same consumer demand, driving up food prices. In parallel, food production costs increase as expensive climate mitigation measures are implemented – against pests and salt intrusion for example – meaning that production costs increase and food prices go up with them.

2.1 In Canada

Major weather events in Canada have affected food costs. In 2021, the Abbotsford flooding in British Columbia killed hundreds of thousands of chickens and 12,000 pigs, for an estimated $285 million in damages (World Animal Protection, 2024). Years of drought in Western Canada have also been increasing the price of wheat and meat. As extreme heat scorches livestock grazing fields, farmers must buy feed, passing costs onto consumers through higher meat prices. Some reduce herd sizes instead, but with the same end result. Either way, meat prices are predicted to rise by four to six percent in 2025. (Bank of Canada, n.d.)

2.2 Worldwide

More importantly, climate events all over the world impact food prices in Canada’s highly globalized system, where 80% of fruits and 58% of vegetables are imported. In November 2022 for example, lettuce prices spiked as a virus spread through California’s lettuce-growing region, and rising temperatures continue to make California strawberries progressively more expensive to produce. (RCI, 2024)

Extreme weather does not just affect food items themselves, but also their transportation. Forest fires in Western Canada shut down rail lines, forcing shipments onto high-demand trucks, driving up production costs and subsequently shelf prices (RCI, 2024). Meanwhile in recent years, droughts have lowered water levels in the Panama Canal, increasing crossing fares by 36% (World Animal Protection, 2024). Volatile fossil fuel prices further contribute to food price fluctuations, disproportionately affecting low-income families.

3. Effect on food security - safety and quality

Climate change has made food consumed in Canada more likely to hold pathogens and chemical pollutants, posing a risk to human health. With four million cases of food-borne illnesses per year in Canada, understanding how climate-sensitive pathogens arise and grow is a public concern. Food safety can be compromised at any stage along food system pathways: production, distribution, packaging, or preparation for consumption. (Harper et. al., 2021)

Higher temperatures play an important role in increasing the presence of pathogens in foods. Warmth favours the growth of pests and parasites, leading to a greater use of “pesticides, herbicides, veterinary treatments, and aquaculture drugs” (Schnitter & Berry, 2019). Heat enhances pathogen survival in soil, manure, and livestock, while promoting disease-carrying vectors like flies and rodents. Finally, warmer water temperatures allow tropical pathogens to spread to non-tropical waters. For example, as V. parahaemolyticus bacteria concentrations increase off the coast of Vancouver island – a key oyster farming region – disease cases are projected to increase from 5 to 8 cases per 100,000 Canadians. In the same way, rising temperatures create favourable conditions for aquatic diseases and increase the uptake of pollutants by fish as their metabolism increases (Harper et. al., 2021).

Increased temperatures also have a major impact on the food supply cold chain (FSCC). Higher outdoor temperatures when harvesting crops require a longer pre-cooling stage to preserve food quality down the line, increasing “the risk that food is sent to the next stage of the FSCC with an inadequate internal temperature”. Additionally, frequent door openings during transport expose food to heat, further degrading quality. (James, 2023)

Extreme weather amplifies food safety concerns. Floods can carry pesticides and pollutants – for instance, if contaminated flood waters from an industrial plant inundate nearby agricultural crops. Droughts on the other hand put stress on the water supply system: when there is less available water, farmers use contaminated water in order to save their crops (Schnitter & Berry, 2019). Combinations of extreme events work together to worsen soil quality: while wildfires release mercury into the soil (Harper et. al., 2021), they also dry it out and increase runoff when a flood follows.

A changing climate is changing the quality of food itself. Indeed, high carbon dioxide levels decrease plant protein quality: experiments have shown that crops like wheat, rice, and legumes in conditions with elevated CO2 (550 to 690 ppm) have their zinc, iron, and protein concentrations reduced by 3% to 15% (Government of Canada, 2020).

Conclusion

It is essential for governments around the world and in Canada to improve food systems in response to climate change. First and foremost, more research needs to be done to understand the complexity and interconnectedness of the factors that affect the globalized food system.

More sustainable agricultural practices should be encouraged, such as crop diversification and natural pest controls. Infrastructure needs to be built to manage flood risks, and protocols put in place to ensure food security during power outages and extreme weather events.

Governments must understand the importance of food safety as a public health issue: measures need to be taken to ensure foods do not contain harmful substances, and chemicals used for farming need to be uniformly regulated. Public hospitals must be prepared to treat emerging food-borne diseases in addition to learning to manage and prevent them.

Consumers must be aware of the risks associated with food production and make consumption choices accordingly. For example, we can promote food security through buying local produce, growing vegetables in community gardens, and reducing personal food waste. Since 2018, the city of Montreal is encouraging food system resilience by developing an urban agriculture strategy and organizing food resilience workshops in the case of power outages. All in all, learning about our food systems and improving their resilience against climate change is everyone’s concern.

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References:

Bank of Canada. (n.d.). What drives up the price of groceries. https://www.bankofcanada.ca/2024/07/what-drives-up-the-price-of-groceries/

Charlebois, S. (2023, August 21). Climate change and its impact on Canadian eating habits. Canadian Grocer. https://canadiangrocer.com/climate-change-and-its-impact-canadian-eating-habits

Government of Canada. (2020, December 1), Climate change impacts on agriculture. Canada.ca. https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/environment/climate-change/climate-change-impacts-agriculture#

Harper, L. S., Schnitter, R. et. al., (2021) Health of Canadians in a Changing Climate: Advancing our Knowledge for Action. Government of Canada. https://changingclimate.ca/health-in-a-changing-climate/chapter/8-0/

James, K. (2023, February 15). Climate change impacts on Canada’s food supply cold chain. National Collaboration Center for Environmental Health

McGrenere, G. (2020, March 10). Canada could gain 4.2 million square kilometres of agricultural land as a result of climate change. Canadian Geographic. https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/canada-could-gain-4-2-million-square-kilometres-of-agricultural-land-as-a-result-of-climate-change/#:~:text=Environment-,Canada%20could%20gain%204.2%20million%20square%20kilometres%20of%20agricultural%20land,gain%20the%20most%20arable%20ground.

Northbridge Insurance. (2022, December 12). Impact of climate change on agriculture in Canada. Northbridge Insurance. https://www.northbridgeinsurance.ca/blog/how-climate-change-affects-agriculture-canada/

Radio-Canada.ca. (2024, August 12). How extreme weather affects food prices in Canada | RCI. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/2096243/how-extreme-weather-affects-food-prices

Schnitter, R. & Berry, P. (2019, July 16) The Climate Change, Food Security and Human Health Nexus in Canada: A Framework to Protect Population Health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6678521/#sec2-ijerph-16-02531

Understanding the 2021 Abbotsford floods. (2024, January 19). World Animal Protection. https://www.worldanimalprotection.ca/news/understanding-2021-abbotsford-floods/#:~:text=The%20Abbotsford%20floods%20inflicted%20severe,access%20to%20food%20and%20water.

UNDRR. (2024, June 28). ​​A new trajectory: Climate change rapidly impacting Canadian agriculture. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. https://www.preventionweb.net/news/new-trajectory-climate-change-rapidly-impacting-canadian-agriculture