According to a new report, Canada's supply management is not supplying enough poultry products to match the increased demand by consumers.The report by the Canadian Association of Regulated Importers (CARI) highlights there has been a 575% increase in import permits for eggs alone in 2026 when compared to 2025.To put it more concretely — Canada needed an additional 70.6 million eggs they couldn't supply themselves since the beginning of 2026 until now.This is highlighted by the Food Professor, or Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, who runs an agri-food lab at Dalhousie University, who commented on and shared the report on X, since the report is only meant for CARI members, based on data published by the feds..The data highlights the surge in egg import permits for foreign suppliers to import their product into Canada — compared to 2025, when 1.2 million permits were given to egg importers, the number of permits in 2026 increased to 6.9 million.Turkey imports also spiked by 196% when comparing the amount of imports to 2025."The failure of chicken producers to fully supply demand forces consumers to try and develop a taste for alternatives," points out CARI.CARI refers to many consumers replacing their poultry protein with "cheap protein" with "all sources of protein being in demand, including fish like canned sardines.".They warn consumers searching for protein alternatives will only hurt the chicken industry in the future when the supply of poultry products catches up with consumer demand.
