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World faces maple syrup shortage

Maple Syrup - Level 0

Changing weather and increasing demand have led to shortages of maple syrup. Canada put half of its emergency supply into the market. 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.

A warmer and shorter spring reduced supply. Maple trees need warm daytime and freezing nighttime temperatures. Also, global demand increased by 20 per cent, largely because of the pandemic. This means more people are cooking at home. The spokeswoman said: "We're seeing people cook more at home."

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Maple Syrup - Level 1

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."

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Maple Syrup - Level 2

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Changing weather patterns and an increase in demand have led to shortages of maple syrup. Stocks of this popular pancake topping have gone down. Canada has just released 22 million kilograms of the sticky stuff into the market. This is almost half of its emergency reserves. Canada is the world's largest maple syrup producer. It produces around three-quarters of the global maple syrup supply. A maple syrup spokeswoman said there would be no shortages. She said: "That's why the reserve is made.…We won't lack maple syrup."

A warmer spring reduced syrup supplies. Maple trees need warm daytime and freezing nighttime temperatures. The warmer, shorter spring led to a poorer harvest. Another factor is worldwide demand. This increased by more than 20 per cent this year. One major reason for this is the pandemic. More people are at home, cooking pancakes and waffles. The maple syrup spokeswoman said: "The pandemic helped our case because we're seeing people cook more at home and use more local products. It's not just in [Canada] where the demand is increasing."

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Maple Syrup - Level 3

Changing weather patterns and an increase in demand have led to a shortage of maple syrup. Worldwide stocks of everyone's favourite pancake topping have gone down. This has caused Canada to release 22 million kilograms of the sweet, sticky stuff into the market. Canada is the world's largest producer of maple syrup. The province of Quebec produces almost three-quarters of global supply. Canada keeps huge amounts of it for emergencies. The syrup it has just released is almost half of those emergency reserves. A spokeswoman for Quebec's maple syrup producers said there would be no shortages. She said: "That's why the reserve is made.…We won't lack maple syrup."

A warmer spring this year has reduced syrup supplies. Maple trees need warm daytime and freezing nighttime temperatures to produce syrup. A warmer and shorter spring led to a poorer harvest than usual. Another factor is worldwide demand for maple syrup. This has increased by more than 20 per cent this year. One major reason for this rise is the coronavirus pandemic. More people are at home, cooking pancakes and waffles. It is possible that more of us have developed a sweet tooth. The Quebec spokeswoman said: "The pandemic helped our case because we're seeing people cook more at home and use more local products. It's not just in Quebec where the demand is increasing."

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