NEW Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Canada's food manufacturers are cutting capacity and focusing on key products as they confront labour shortages and supply chain bottlenecks that show no signs of easing.
Shipping backlogs, delays in obtaining packaging and ingredients and high worker absenteeism due to COVID-19 isolation protocolsare interfering with the availability of certain products, experts say.
The situation has prompted some food suppliers to inform grocers about the steps they're taking to fulfil orders, including finding new sources for materials, adding transportation capacity and even changing product formulations in some cases.
Shoppers should expect intermittent issues with product availability, said Michael Graydon, CEO of Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada.
"There are certain commodities that will come and go and be a bit sporadic," he said. "But the essentials in life will there."
Many food manufacturers are coping with labour and product shortages by concentrating on key product flavours and sizes with the highest demand in order to maximize efficiencies, Graydon said.
Still, others have been forced to reduce production as absenteeism reaches up to 20 per cent in some plants, Graydon said.
"You end up having to cut significant manufacturing capacity because you don't have the labour," he said. "We already have high demand for products because the restaurant industry is virtually down and out and home consumption increased."
Meanwhile, supply chain issues are also impacting the flow of goods, especially over the border.
Shipping problems are delaying the delivery of U.S.-made products to Canadian distribution centres as well as the availability of raw materials like packaging, experts say.
"There's a massive shortage of truck drivers," Graydon said. "Goods aren't moving and the cost of moving those goods is going up."
Compounding the situation is a new federal vaccine mandate for truckers, he said.
"It's the timing," Graydon said. "This new variant has had a significant impact on absenteeism ... we can't afford to lose more drivers right now."
Sylvain Charlebois, Dalhousie University professor of food distribution and policy, said food access in Canada will be a challenge for some time.
"There are bottlenecks throughout the supply chain, especially in processing," he said. "That impacts distribution and eventually the ability for grocers to restock shelves."
Consumers will see fewer discounts and products on supermarkets shelves as a result, Charlebois said.
"Promotions are going to be really, really rare," he said. "And shoppers may occasionally notice half-empty shelves."
Meanwhile, the shortage of truckers will make the border less fluid, leading to delays in obtaining both raw ingredients and finished products, Charlebois said.
Av Maharaj, chief administrative officer for Kraft Heinz Canada, said his company is not immune to the current supply chain challenges across the food industry.
Shipping costs have gone up dramatically and there is a scarcity of certain raw materials, he said.
Still, Maharaj said Kraft Heinz's facility outside of Montreal has rigorous safety protocols in place and low absenteeism, allowing it to operate at full production.
"The factory continues to run at a maximum capacity to meet demands of Canadian consumers," he said.
Lores Tome, a spokesperson for Kellogg Canada Inc., said higher at-home consumption coupled with supply chain challenges have impacted the availability of some products in Canada, such as Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal.
These "intermittent shortages" reflect the challenging operating environment all manufacturers are experiencing, she said in an e-mailed statement.
About 1,400 union workers at Kellogg's plants in the United States were on strike for several weeks last year. An agreement was reached Dec. 21.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2022.
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Prince William will return to public duties on Thursday for the first time since his wife Kate revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
A popular highway in Alberta's Banff National Park now has a 'no stopping zone' to help protect two bears.
B.C. resident Robert Conrad spent thousands of hours on Crown land developing an unusual bond with deer.
A Sudbury woman said her husband was bringing the recycling out to the curb Wednesday night when he had to make a 'mad dash' inside after seeing a bear.