Canadian Chicken Consumption Hits a Record High

Canada's chicken consumption is projected to hit a record high in 2026, with the average Canadian expected to eat 39.5 kilograms this year and 39.8 kilograms next year, according to a USDA Foreign Agricultural Service report on Canada, as reported by The Poultry Site on October 5, 2026. The figures mark the highest levels ever recorded — and they arrive even as the country's population shrinks.

Chicken Consumption in Canada: The Long Climb

The road to the record has been long and steady. Per-person chicken consumption rose from 10.0 kilograms in 1965 to 24.8 kilograms in 1995, then 33.1 kilograms in 2017 and 34.5 kilograms in 2021, according to USDA data cited by The Poultry Site and historical industry reporting. Total national consumption has nearly tripled over the past 35 years, driven in large part by steady population growth that peaked in 2025 at 41.6 million people, up from nearly 28 million in 1990. The generational shift is just as striking: chicken was a side player when beef dominated the Canadian table, but sustained chicken consumption growth has flipped the script over six decades.

Why Chicken Consumption Keeps Climbing

The standout driver is demographics. Population growth, fueled mainly by immigration, ran at an exceptional 3.0% annually in both 2023 and 2024 before reverting to the decades-long average of 1.0% in 2025 after tighter federal immigration policies, according to the USDA report. Combined with rising departures of temporary residents, the result was an outright population decline in 2026 compared with 2025 — yet chicken demand kept rising. Nearly one in four Canadians was born in another country, and the report notes the immigrant population increasingly comes from countries with stronger dietary preferences for chicken over beef or pork.

Price and perception do the rest of the work. Chicken is positioned as a versatile, affordable protein: competitively priced and consistently available, making it an attractive substitute for red meat, which is typically pricier and at times in short supply, as reported by The Poultry Site. Health awareness adds momentum to chicken consumption, with the bird perceived as leaner and healthier than other meats, while the growth of chicken-based quick-service offerings has further supported demand.

Industry leaders agree the trend has legs. Chicken is “the number one choice for Canadians,” according to Tim Klompmaker, chair of Chicken Farmers of Canada, and one of “the most versatile ingredients in the grocery store,” he added. He also calls it “the most affordable unprocessed option” at the meat counter and says Canadian standards are “some of the highest in the world,” according to the Investing News Network.

What the Record Means for Your Grocery Bill

For shoppers, the record lands at the intersection of tight budgets and changing menus. Chicken now holds more than 40% of Canada's total meat market — up from just 12.8% of the butcher's section in the 1960s, according to the Investing News Network — which means grocers and restaurant chains keep doubling down on it, from rotisserie birds to crispy chicken sandwiches. The business side of the bird is booming too: read our Cooking coverage of Hormel's billion-dollar bet on chicken, and find more food stories in our Cooking section.

There is a wrinkle in the affordability story. Canada's supply-managed poultry system matches production to domestic demand, which steadies supply but also shapes retail prices — a dynamic that matters as chicken consumption climbs into record territory. Klompmaker credits the system with keeping chicken affordable for Canadians, according to the Investing News Network, while critics of supply management counter that it keeps prices higher than in open markets. Shoppers feeling sticker shock at the poultry case may be experiencing both forces at once.

The restaurant industry is feeding the trend as well. Quick-service chains have spent the past decade adding fried chicken sandwiches, tenders and wraps to their menus, and that menu expansion has become a meaningful engine of chicken consumption growth, as reported by The Poultry Site. For Gen Z eaters in particular, the drive-thru chicken sandwich has become the default protein order — a habit that shows up directly in the per-capita numbers.

Supply is keeping pace for now. Canadian chicken production edged up 0.1% to 1.4 million tonnes in 2024, according to Statistics Canada, with national output holding steady on consistent demand; the strongest gains came in Alberta, up 2.1%.

With per-person intake still climbing through 2027 even as population growth stalls, the forces behind record chicken consumption show no sign of letting up. The bird that was a bit player in the 1960s butcher's section now anchors the dinner table — and the checkout line.