The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Industry

The Ontario produce industry is a vibrant, flourishing industry.

Ontario contributes over one third of Canada’s total fruit and vegetable production, contributing more than $4.2 billion and over 66,000 jobs to the economy. Approximately 43% of this value is field grown and 57% produced in greenhouse operations.

Over 125 different fruit and vegetable crops are commercially grown on 245,000 acres of land in Ontario. Field vegetables grown in Ontario include potatoes, sweet corn, peas, field tomatoes, asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsnips, peppers, pumpkins, squash, radishes, rhubarb, rutabagas, spinach, and zucchini.

Fruit commercially grown in Ontario include apples, grapes, peaches, apricots, blueberries, melons, cherries, nectarines, pears, plums, raspberries and strawberries.

At the Ontario Food Terminal in Etobicoke, over 2 billion pounds of produce, both local and imported, is distributed every year. Over 100,000 people are either directly or indirectly employed through business at the Ontario Food Terminal including more than 600 Ontario farmers. 

With consumer demand for a variety of produce year round, over $7 billion of produce is imported into Ontario and $2 billion is exported every year.