Asian immigration driving Canada’s positive dietary trends, report finds

By RANDY SHORE, Vancouver Sun October 18, 2011 4:04 PM



Canada’s growing Asian population is exerting a powerful influence on the nation’s dietary trends, from eating more fruit to consuming less beef, according to a newly released market study.
Canadians are eating 703 million fewer servings of potatoes per year than they were in 2001 and 297 million more servings of rice, according to Eating Patterns in Canada (EPIC), a study by market-research firm NPD Group.
The popularity of beef is waning — down 384 million meals a year over the past decade — while seafood and pork consumption is increasing steadily, by 248 million and 372 million meals a year respectively, according to food and beverage analyst Joel Gregoire.
Asian Canadians are also more likely to reach for fruit as a snack than Canadians as a whole. The Asian population tends to snack more than other cultures, averaging 309 snacks per year per person — the national average is 291 — choosing fruit 38 per cent of the time, compared to just 30 per cent for all Canadians.
The share of immigrants to Canada coming from Asia has risen from 14 per cent in 1981 to 45 per cent forecast for 2011, he said, adding there is little doubt that population has had an impact on the way all Canadians eat.
“Rice, to no one’s surprise, is very popular with Asian consumers, but when we take a step back we can see rice growing overall in Canada and potatoes declining,” Gregoire said. “Potatoes are still eaten more often, but [they’re] on a downward trend.”
The trend lines indicate some convergence in the eating habits of all Canadians, he said.
“We still do see big differences in what Asian Canadians eat as well,” he said. Asian consumers are less likely to eat beef, fuelling an overall decline in the amount of beef eaten by the so-called “average” Canadian.
Pork, seafood and poultry are all popular with Asians, Gregoire said.
“Whether that is bleeding over into the rest of the community is hard to say, but the sheer size of the immigrant community from Asia is impacting [those sales],” he said.
“We recognize that there is incredible diversity within the category of Asian Canadians — people of Chinese, Indian and Filipino descent — but for our purposes here we have combined them to see these larger trends,” Gregoire said.
NPD Group maintains a rolling sample of 3,000 Canadians, who report a full week of their eating and drinking behaviour to provide consumption data for analysis.
“We are able to get a pretty good picture of eating behaviour in Canada,” said Gregoire. “We are in the field 52 weeks a year.”
NPD Group provides market analysis to food and beverage companies, which use detailed data about Canadians eating habits — what they eat and drink, when they do so and where — to ensure they are well-positioned to exploit emerging markets.
“Food manufacturers need to understand what the flavour profiles are that will resonate with [Asian] consumers,” Gregoire said. “Asian consumers are far more likely to eat tropical fruits, for instance.”
rshore@vancouversun.com

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Asian+immigration+driving+Canada+positive+dietary+trends+report+finds/5569668/story.html#ixzz1bBC89q3B

Canadians still support high immigration levels: study

Saira Peesker, CTVNews.ca

Date: Tuesday Oct. 18, 2011 5:49 PM ET

Most Canadians support ongoing high levels of immigration -- but those who don't are more likely to be immigrants, Conservatives, women or the elderly, according to a study released Tuesday.

The study, released by Montreal's Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP), found that overall, Canada remains a consistently welcoming place for newcomers, with support for high levels of immigration unaffected by dips in the economy, international terrorism or other events linked to specific ethnic groups.

Over the past 20 years, Canada has accepted about 250,000 "permanent immigrants" annually, author Jeffrey Reitz, an immigration and ethnic studies professor at the University of Toronto. In 2010, the country posted its highest figures in 50 years: more than 280,000 people.

"This support has been consistently high over the past 15 to 20 years when immigration levels have also been high," states a release issued by the IRPP. "It is particularly strong among more educated Canadians, the young, the fully employed and men."

About 58 per cent of people in the country support current levels of immigration, stated the report, titled "Pro-immigration Canada: Social and Economic Roots of Popular Views."

Atlantic Canada, Quebec and the Prairies outshone the rest of Canada, with more than 62 per cent support.

"There's majority support in every region," Reitz told CTVNews.ca on Tuesday. "It used to be thought that Alberta was a bit reluctant on immigration, but whatever was the case in the past is no longer true."

Both Ontario and British Columbia showed lower than average levels of support, but people in those provinces' most immigrant-rich cities, Toronto and Vancouver, showed enthusiasm for immigration that was above average.

"Where there are more immigrants, people are a bit cool to the idea of adding even more immigrants," Reitz explained. "The question asked wasn't ‘Do we like immigration?' It was ‘How do you feel about changing the levels of immigration?' If you're in an area where there's a lot of immigration, your view to adding more might be a bit restrained."

Between one third and one half of the country's newcomers settle in Toronto.

The study looked at trends in public attitudes and data from an Environics survey conducted last November, which asked Canadians questions how much immigration they are comfortable with, and to explain the conditions under which immigrants are most likely to succeed.

It found Canadians see newcomers as both an economic benefit and a cultural one, noting multiculturalism remains one of the country's main sources of national pride.

"Few see immigration as one of Canada's most significant problems," states the study. "The survey data show that support for multiculturalism is rooted in a broader, socially progressive agenda that includes issues such as gay rights and gun control, which themselves reinforce pro-immigration attitudes. Nevertheless, many Canadians would like immigrants to blend into society rather than form separate communities."

The study found Canadians see acceptance of immigrants as distinct from our neighbours to the south, providing a national identity in a country often looking to set itself apart.

Indeed, when compared to the United States, where there is a fence along large parts of the southern border and a proposal for one on its north, the lack of debate on the merits of immigration in Canada speaks volumes.

"In the party leaders' debate preceding the May 2011 election, a voter posed a question on immigration and multiculturalism. Each of the four prime ministerial candidates attempted to adopt the most pro-immigration position," states the report.

"All Canadian political parties espouse pro-immigration policies, and the public rarely asks them to defend these policies.

"Canada is an exception to the negative attitude toward immigration that prevails in most other industrialized countries, an attitude that has received much attention, particularly in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France."

"Canadians were more likely to see immigration as an opportunity than as a problem."

Read more: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20111018/canadians-still-support-high-immigration-levels-111018/#ixzz1bBBTRhtu