Changing weather and increasing demand have led to shortages of maple syrup. Stocks of this pancake topping have gone down. Canada put 22 million kilograms of the sticky stuff into the market. This is half of its emergency reserves. Canada is the world's largest maple syrup producer. It produces around three-quarters of the global supply. A spokeswoman said there would be no shortages. She said: "We won't lack maple syrup."

A warmer and shorter spring reduced supply. Maple trees need warm daytime and freezing nighttime temperatures. Another reason is worldwide demand. This has increased by more than 20 per cent, largely because of the pandemic. More people are at home, cooking pancakes and waffles. The maple syrup spokeswoman said: "We're seeing people cook more at home and use more local products. It's not just in [Canada] where the demand is increasing."