Nils-Gerrit Wunsch
Research expert covering foods trends in North America, Europe, and the global food system
The North American chocolate confectionery market accounts for slightly over a fifth of the global chocolate confectionery market. The Canadian market is only a fraction of the total. Standing in the shadow of the gigantic U.S. market, revenues of the Canadian chocolate confectionery market only account for 5.5 billion U.S. dollars. The U.S. market is more than nine times larger. Nonetheless, a considerable amount of chocolate is consumed by Canadians annually. Expressed in kilograms, the market volume comes to about 293 million per year. Locally, the majority of Canadian chocolate producers are situated in Quebec.
Canadian chocolate trade
Substantive quantities of chocolate products are imported into Canada at a rate of about 1.24 billion U.S. dollars every year. Canadian imports of chocolate products have considerably increased in the past two years. Nonetheless, Canada is also a major exporter of chocolate. The Canadian exports of chocolate exceed imports by about 528 million U.S. dollars. The vast majority of Canadian chocolate exports go to the United States. Another notable destination for Canadian exports of Chocolate products is Mexico. Exports to other markets remain under 10 million U.S. dollars. Hence, Canadian exports of chocolate remain almost exclusively within North America.Consumption
Canadian chocolate consumption is on average 7.7 kilograms per person annually. In the coming years, Canadians are forecast to increase their chocolate consumption steadily. By 2028, consumption levels are predicted to increase to almost 9.7 kilograms per person. The annual consumer price index for sugar and confectionery in Canada was measured at 157.9 points in 2022 (Baseline is 100 points for the average of the year 2002). The inflation of prices for sugar and confectionary in Canada has steadily increased over the last two decades. The average annual expenditure on candies and chocolates varies by province. The highest expenditures are in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, where an average of 346 Canadian Dollars is spent per household on a yearly basis.
