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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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