Vacancies Remain In Food Processing Industry

Oct 16, 2020

The agriculture sector is hiring far fewer people than at this time last year.

The biggest problem is food processing, with estimates that almost 28,000 jobs in the sector remain vacant in Canada.

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a food professor at Dalhousie University.

"With fewer people processing food, we may see inventories for a lot of products getting low," he said. "Going into the fall, this is quite problematic. Of course, you can import products, but if our own manufacturing plants are struggling to get people in, there will be less food to sold at retail. That's going to be a challenge."

Charlebois says Canada will not experience a food shortage any time soon, but the processing sector needs help, and fast.

He notes the average hourly wage in the area is currently about $21 to $23, well above the minimum wage across the country. Working conditions, however, are not ideal.

Charlebois adds that the new enhanced employment insurance program is also creating challenges for attracting workers.

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Video: Sweetener Effects on Gut Health - Dr. Kwangwook Kim

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kwangwook Kim, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, discusses the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in nursery pig diets. He explains how sucralose and neotame influence feed intake, gut health, metabolism, and the frequency of diarrhea compared to antibiotics. The conversation highlights mechanisms beyond palatability, including hormone signaling and nutrient transport. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Receptors responsible for sweet taste are present not only in the mouth but also along the intestinal tract.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Kwangwook Kim / kwangwook-kim is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, specializing in swine nutrition and feed additives under disease challenge models. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of California, Davis, where he focused on intestinal health and metabolic responses in pigs. His research evaluates alternatives to antibiotics, targeting gut health and performance in nursery pigs.