Federal officials are warning that Canada’s meat supply could be disrupted by COVID-19 related labour shortages in processing plants.

Prof. Evan Fraser, director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph, is quote in media reports on the subject.

In an April 16 CBC News story, Fraser said Canadians shouldn’t panic if they see a rise in meat prices.

“What we can expect in a few weeks is less meat getting onto the market, probably rising prices, maybe some empty grocery store shelves for a little bit of time,” he said.

Low-income families will be affected the most by price increases, he said in the article.

In an April 16 story in The Globe and Mail,  Fraser said the meat processing sector has managed to “limp along.” The pandemic is revealing so-called choke points in the system, he said: points of congestion or blockade that disrupt supplies.

Fraser holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and studies food security, food prices, rural agricultural policy and how each is affected by climate change.