The Buy Canadian in grocery stores movement helps Ontario apples to be the first pick for health-conscious eaters

OAG chair Chris Hedges of Vanessa.

By Diane Baltaz

The vision statement of the Ontario Apple Growers (OGA) reads: Ontario Apples – the first pick for healthy consumers. According to the OGA’s new chair, Chris Hedges of Vanessa, this came true for Ontario’s 2024 sales – and sales for the 2025 seem to be similarly promising.

“The (Canada-USA) tariff - trade situation improved our 2024 sales and it will hopefully be the case for 2025,” said Hedges, who assumed the OAC chair earlier this year. “I’ve heard reports of others who sold faster this year. It didn’t increase the price as most prices for growers are agreed upon in advance. I don’t generally have a problem selling my crop but these faster sales means less storage. As a grower, we’re happy to be out sooner.”

Hedges hopes that with the current U.S. administration, 2025 domestic prices may be higher with chains responding to the consumer demand for buying Canadian.

The OAG represents the province’s 200-plus farmers with more than 10 acres of trees from the five apple growing regions in Ontario. The association promotes generic apple sales and varieties to consumers, supports members with information on orchard efficiency, advocacy, collaboration and innovation.

Hedges took over from former chair Brian Rideout of Blenheim, who led the OAG since December 2023.

This OAG chair’s expertise comes at a time when Ontario remains a net importer of apples and apple product. But the association’s July 2020 economic impact statement reads, “Ontario’s apple growers are in an expansion mode and the majority of growers are optimistic about the future of the apple business … with growth expected in all five apple growing districts.”

2025 crop estimates issued by the OAG in July forecasted a 5.6 percent increase for an estimated 8,959,000 bushels (376,260,000 lbs) this year. The top varieties, in order of production, are as follows: Gala, Honeycrisp, Ambrosia, McIntosh, Red Delicious and Empire.

“These estimates are listed in order of acreage plantings with the Mac and Red Delicious likely being legacy plantings,” said Hedges.

Because consumer preferences constantly change, growers periodically replace traditional favourites, such as the McIntosh and Delicious, with newer varieties.

“Gala and Honeycrisp were among the earlier plantings when consumer demand changed.”

“Apples are a staple in households,” said Hedges. “We need to make sure that we supply the varieties they want; historically Canadians prefer sweet-tart varieties like Mac and Empire; now there’s greater preference for the pure sweet ones like Gala and Ambrosia.”

While national fruit and vegetable consumption levels vary, apples are the most consumed fruit in Canada, according to a January 2020 Leger poll. But they compete with other produce and continually need marketing venues such as Foodland Ontario in order to remain at the forefront of Buy Local campaigns. And comparatively few Ontario apples are exported, said Hedges.

“We’re competing with imports and low-priced imports are still a reality. Ontario commercial apple producers must be competitive in a world market,” said Hedges.

“The biggest competitor to the apple is the long produce aisle – the chains carry absolutely everything from everywhere. Ontario Apple’s job is to help the consumer choose us, especially when they have consumers with tightening budgets from rising interest rates and other causes.”

The OAG does vigorous promotion from in-store tastings to social media about the varieties, uses and benefits of consuming the province’s 15 commonly-marketed apples. In support of this goal, the association received up to $400,000 of provincial funding in October, 2024 in part to educate consumers about the “world class” Ontario apple.

Growing costs in some areas may be slightly higher in 2025 because of the need to irrigate orchards due to sparse rainfall.

“Most of the province was dry with spotty rains, but to date, the weather was not horribly bad because there was no hail.”

Hedges said that Ontario apple production was at 30,000 acres in the late 1990s; acreage has since declined to a little over 15,000 acres.

“Yet production levels are about the same,”

Hedges is a first-generation apple grower who began in 1998, eventually expanding to 700 acres.

”It’s enough,” he laughed.

Most of Hedges’ crop goes to Martin’s Apples in Waterloo Region for value-added product. He also owns Ontario Orchard Supply, selling orchard products to his fruit growers.

The OAG chair first served as a director from 2005 to 2012 before returning to the board in 2020 and becoming vice-president in 2023. Hedges previously participated with the OAG Risk Management Committee, as well as the Ontario Agricultural Commodity Council and the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada’s Apple Working Group. He was also a director on the board of the International Fruit Tree Association and has hosted an international group who toured Ontario farms.

Ontario Apple Facts from the OAG’s 2020 economic impact statement)

- Approximately 22 jobs are created for every 1.0 million in spending by the Ontario apple sector.

- Each Million dollars in output by apple growers generates $2.03 million of activity throughout the Ontario economy.

- Every $10 million spent by apple processors on non-apple inputs creates an additional $26.2 million in economic activity

- Ontario apple growers’ contribution to the provincial economy stares with production – based on an average annual volume of 305.6 million pounds of apples; their apple shipments are worth an average of $123.1 million annually.

- Ontario apple growers ship an average of 229.2 million pounds of apples annually to packing facilities in the province. The apple packing sector … creates $156.3 million in economic activity province-wide and 1,781 full time jobs with wages and salaries of $76.3 million. The packing sector adds $110.5 million to the provincial GDP, resulting in tax revenues of $47.7 million for the three levels of government.

- Value-added processing creates an additional $196.1 million in economic activity and 2,247 jobs with wages and salaries of $94.2 million and increases provincial GDP by $133.7 million.