Food processing has surpassed forestry to be the second largest part of manufacturing in the Atlantic region but there has been a significant loss of jobs and 25 per cent reduction in the number of plants.
The workforce has been cut by 10 thousand jobs in ten years.
Senior Policy Analyst Fred Bergman of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council says there has been a lot of consolidation taking place with smaller companies disappearing.
Bergman says North Americans are eating less seafood, fewer french fries and less dairy but demand for food exports is growing in China, Vietnam and Iceland.
The U.S. remains the target market for seafood, up 18 per cent over 10 years.
