With high-protein diets still circulating on social media, with the fan favourite being cottage cheese, dairy producers are betting on this being more than a trend.
“Our customers are asking for more. Unfortunately, we’re sort of tapped out at our current capacities as we speak,” Suzanna Dalrymple, president and CEO of Gay Lea Foods, told Global News.
Gay Lea Foods, which makes Nordica cottage cheese, is expanding its Toronto production facilities to increase output.
On Tuesday, the dairy company announced a $200 million investment to “significantly” expand its Clayson Road dairy manufacturing facility in Toronto, saying the investment will help to address what it calls a “national cottage cheese shortage.”
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National production of cottage cheese is on the rise. Production increased from 8,571 tonnes in the first quarter of 2025 to 9,870 tonnes in the first quarter of 2026, according to data from Statistics Canada. That marks a 15 per cent increase in one year.
There is approximately 12 to 14 grams of protein in a half cup serving of Nordica cottage cheese, making up more than 20 per cent of Health Canada’s recommended daily protein intake for most people.
“I think really fundamentally people are looking for more affordable animal proteins and dairy is really having a moment because of that,” Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, told Global News.
Dalrymple said TikTok has helped play a role.
“I love the videos. They’re so fun to watch. And at the beginning, I think that was what contributed to a lot of people thinking that maybe it was a fad,” she said. “But it’s certainly not.”
Earlier this year, dairy co-op Agropur also announced plans to expand its cottage cheese production.
“It means that they’re pretty confident that it’s not just a trend,” Charlebois said. “It’s really going to be something that’s going to be sustainable over the long term.”
Gay Lea Foods says the expansion is expected to be complete by 2028.
—with files from Jacqueline Hansen, Global News
When you operate on quotas like Carneys Cheese Cartels you always have shortages.
Liberal and NDP voters actually believe this nonsense.
Must be the axe the tax guy issue. Where is he these days?
Any new slogans from him lately to throw some meat at his supporters?
How can there be a cottage cheese shortage in Canada? The heads of Liberal voters are filled with the stuff.
All they have to do is stop pouring it down the drain. You know the scam food producers have been doing for years. Pretend supply is low to jack up prices and keep them there. Dairy and coffee are the biggest offenders. Bad weather price goes up, good weather price stays up!
Any excuse to jack up prices. Greed.
Living in Canada is unaffordable. Because of Canadians.
How long until the facade that we are a first world country falls apart. While most of the world moves on, the neo marxist countries implode in entropy.
Nice racket the dairy industry has in Canada. Restrict supply and drive up prices. All with the blessing of the government whom the dairy industry donates big money to.
The Federal Government is destroying the Canadian meat industry to the point we either import meat from other countries or have to substitute meat proteins with the products from the government controlled dairy industry. Like in Soviet Russia, you control the food you control the people.
So nice that all of our Parliamentarians, regardless of political party, support these criminals.
After making a little extra on scarcity they manufactured.
Quebec treats Dairy like Alberta treats Oil, but nobody needs Quebecs Dairy, We all need Alberta’s oil.
Stupid country, cant run manufacturing off Dairy or maple syrup.
“Our customers are asking for more. Unfortunately, we’re sort of tapped out at our current capacities as we speak,” Suzanna Dalrymple, president and CEO of Gay Lea Foods, told Global News.” Right, it ALL DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH DAIRY QUEBEC wants to supply the rest of Canada. A province that is not even part of canada because they do not want to be part of canada – EXCEPT IN QUEBEC, EXCEPT IN QUEBEC. Wish that I did NOT have to buy anything from Quebec any more. I like to buy CANADIAN.
Quebec dairy monopoly almost over after decades of gouging!
Support your local farmers. BYPASS. Dont worry though, the libs are shutting everything down except Halal.
Austrailian beef but nope we cant have cheese… certainly not from our neighbour. We should ship it from across the world cause we are assholes.
Socialized cottage cheese brought to you by your new and improved communist marxist government. Quebec price regulated cheese good, American free market cheese bad.
Go to your local farmer, Im not buying Halal cheese.
Open the market to American products and shortage arent as big a problem
So the Quebec Dairy Cartel is doing Cartel things…. ok Global. Giving us cheese we already paid for.