Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank say a recent boom in American produce being collected through their food recovery program has been an unexpected benefit of the ongoing trade war between the US and Canada. (Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff & The Canadian Press

tariff bonus

Nanaimo food bank sees silver lining through ongoing Canada-U.S. trade war

Mar 21, 2025 | 9:25 AM

NANAIMO — The ‘buy Canadian’ message seems to be resonating with local shoppers, creating a silver lining for a local food bank.

Peter Sinclair, executive director of Loaves & Fishes Community Food Bank said they’ve been inundated with hundreds of kilograms of American produce over recent weeks, which went unsold at area grocery stores.

A food recovery program allows them to accept surplus or unsold items from their grocery store partners and wholesalers.

He said when the talk of tariffs between Canada and the United States started, they saw a jump in donations of American produce of everything from cauliflower to lettuce.

Sinclair says they don’t normally track the country of origin for donated food, but their warehouse manager has estimated about 300 to 400 kilograms more of American produce has come in, compared with what is normal.

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The boom lasted for five weeks before it began trailing off last week, a downward trend that Sinclair says may be due to retailers adjusting their purchasing to match what Canadians want.

The food bank’s recovery program has grown exponentially over recent years.

Loaves and Fishes serves roughly 3,500 people in the Nanaimo area alone on a monthly basis, and around 15,000 people across Vancouver Island.

The facility sourced more than $10 million in food by the end of 2024, an approximately 50 per cent increase on pre-pandemic levels.

The non-profit agency also distributes food weekly to several depot locations in Nanaimo and around Vancouver Island, primarily in smaller, north Island communities.

Construction officially began on the new 30,000 square foot facility in early December, shortly after a building permit was approved by the City of Nanaimo.

Dan Huang-Taylor, executive director of Food Banks BC, says it doesn’t come as a surprise to him because when he goes grocery shopping, he sees a lot of U.S. products marked down because “clearly, they are not selling.”

Huang-Taylor says he’s concerned for when the impact of the American tariffs start to cause price surges at the grocery store, which will make life less affordable for Canadians.

“We believe that the tariff will make things much harder for people, so, we anticipate more people needing to access food banks in the months and years ahead.”

— with files from The Canadian Press

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