Current Situation

In 2014, Nova Scotians consumed $1.52 billion in food. Locally farmed, caught and processed food represented $594 million of household consumption, and locally prepared meals at restaurants represented another $921 million.  This is down from the previous year where households consumed $655 million in fresh and processed foods, and $951 million in restaurant meals.  This is mainly due to an increase in imports of processed foods, including fresh and frozen vegetable juices and fresh and frozen pork. This was only partially offset by declining imports of preserved fruits, vegetables and frozen foods, milk products and cheese.

What this means

The headline indicator measures household consumption of farm to table, wharf to table, processors to table food and locally prepared restaurant meals in Nova Scotia. The information here assumes that households consume imported food products (unprocessed, processed and in restaurants) following the same patterns as the imports of food products in the overall Nova Scotia market. While some information is known about direct sales from local farms and fishers to households, it is difficult to estimate the full linkages between domestic agricultural markets, local food processing, and household consumption.  The existing information does not distinguish how much of the food used by local restaurants, food processing or households is produced domestically versus imported.

Stories

• 

  Canning entrepreneurs expanding fermented food offerings

  Seven Acres Farm owners Jocelyn Durston and Chris Kasza are expanding what is now a home-based, fermented food business by renting out a commercial kitchen at another nearby farm.

• 

  Healthy Business - Middleton’s Valley Flaxflour celebrates 20 years of good-for-you products

  Valley Flaxflour products are sold in Sobeys retail stores across Atlantic Canada. They are also available in local markets in the Annapolis Valley and mail order throughout Canada.

• 

  Atlantic Agricultural Farm Fair returning to Halifax with trade show

  The fair will have a midway and livestock show as in previous years, but will also pitch Nova Scotia products to international buyers, fair chairman David Logie announced Saturday.