Speaking at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce's annual general meeting in Oshawa last week, Ted Bilyea said the global and national food picture is something businesses should look at as an opportunity and a threat.

"Every community is involved in agri-food," he said.

Only 11 per cent of land in Canada is land that can be used for growing crops, Mr. Bilyea said, so it should not be built on.

A third of that farm-suitable land is nearby, visible from the top of the CN Tower on a clear day. The remaining 89 per cent is unusable for agriculture, he said.

In the larger picture the food system is no longer local, it's global and interdependent, Mr. Bilyea said. In China, for example, farmers are growing more vegetables and fruits instead of the grains that were the traditional crop there. This has created a grain shortage, which could mean rationing of crops if there is a bad growth year, Mr. Bilyea said.

Canadians may have to get used to a higher grocery bill, he said.

Canada is importing more goods that used to be produced more widely in Canada, such as pork, Mr. Bilyea said.

The problem with importing is that it increases costs, but those costs are not being passed along to customers, due in part to a price war between the larger grocery stores, Mr. Bilyea said.

"It's coming."

And he said he thinks raising prices for the consumer is the answer because it will get more food grown locally.

"Raising food prices will be better for everyone in the long run."