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Ministry of Agriculture and Lands

BC Food Processing Industry Overview

The British Columbia food & beverage industry plays a significant role in the provincial manufacturing economy contributing approximately $2.1 billion (for the year 2004) to the provincial Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or just over 5% of the total provincial GDP contributed by goods-producing industries in British Columbia, and is ranked the third highest among manufacturing industries.

The British Columbia food industry is dominated by a large number of small and medium sized firms which provide the industry with operational flexibility in responding to shifts in consumer tastes and preferences. Each firm generally has less than 50 employees.

An estimated 55% of all food processing firms are located in the Greater Vancouver area and the nearby Fraser Valley. Another 30% of food processing firms are located in the Okanagan Valley and the coastal regions.

Food and Beverage Industry 2003, 2004 

 

2003

2004

Number Of Establishments

 1,032 1,029

Food And Beverage Shipments ($ mil)

 5,981 6,153

Number Of Employees

 31,100 31,000

Average Weekly Earnings ($/week) - Food

 637.33 634.55

Average Weekly Earnings ($/week) - Beverage

 788.00 711.46

Total Food & Beverage Manufacturing Shipments 2002-2004 ($million)

 

2002

2003 

2004 

Total Food & Beverage Manufacturing Shipments 

5,522 

 6,009 6,153

Total Food Industries 

4,529 

 4,918 5,054

Meat And Meat Products

1,203

 1,410 1,576

Fruit And Vegetables 

400 

 419 477

Dairy Products 

722 

 841 857

Seafood Products

736

 694 621

Animal Food Products

493

 461 414

Bakeries & tortillas

297

 319 311

Other Food Industries

301

 353 374

Total Beverage Industries

993

 1,091 1,130

B.C. Manufacturing Value Added 2001-2003 ($millions)

 

2001

2002

2003

Food Manufacturing

1,667

1,665

 1,658

Beverage Manufacturing

550

610

 580

Total

2,217

2,274

 2,238

Value Added as a Percentage of Shipments

B.C.

40

41

 37

Canada

39

37

 36

Sources: 

  • BCMAL FAST STATS 2005 (PDF, 1450KB)
  • Statistics Canada, Manufacturing, Construction & Energy Division; Labour Statistics Division (SEPH and LFS); Business Register. 
  • Statistics Canada, Manufacturing, Construction and Energy Division, Annual Survey of Manufacturing for 2002, 2003 and 2004 data. 
  • Statistics Canada, Manufacturing, Construction & Energy Division.

Food Service 2002, 2003

 

2002

2003

Number Of Locations*

8,172

 8,231

Value Of Sales ($ millions)

$5,101.20

 5,389

Number Of Employees

129,600

 123,900

Average Weekly Earnings ($/week)

286.74

 273.08

*Includes restaurants, taverns, caterers, take-outs (Excludes sales in the accommodation, recreational and institutional sectors).

Sources: 

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