The traditionally friendly and largely unguarded Canada-U.S. border found itself in unexpected conflict early in 2023, particularly during February and March, when tensions rose due to President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and discussions about annexing Canada.
In response, Canadian provincial liquor authorities removed American alcoholic beverages from their shelves, and Canadian tourism to the U.S. experienced a significant decline.
British Columbia’s Premier, David Eby, even suggested imposing tolls on commercial trucks traveling through B.C. to Alaska along the Alaska Highway, potentially escalating costs for residents and disrupting food supply chains.
The Alaska Highway, constructed in 1942 as a defense strategy during World War II, connects the northwestern U.S. to Alaska.
Starting in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, this significant highway stretches north and west through the rugged terrain of Yukon before crossing into Alaska, terminating in Delta Junction, about 1,387 miles from its starting point.
For those residing along the Alaska Highway, including the author who has lived in Whitehorse for over 16 years, Eby’s threat was a source of concern as it revealed the fragility of Alaska’s food supply chain amid unstable international relations.
The imagery of Alaska as a vulnerable balloon on a long string held by an unexpected adversary was vivid amid these tensions, especially considering the historic challenges the state has faced in securing fresh food supplies.
Even during the Klondike Gold Rush, sustaining the population with adequate food was a struggle due to Alaska’s geographical remoteness.
Despite the challenges of transporting goods, fresh produce largely reached the state via trucking, providing a quicker alternative than the time-consuming barge delivery route.
Seeking to clarify how much food was actually transported along the Alaska Highway, the author reached out to various agencies.
Unfortunately, many responses yielded limited data, revealing a lack of coherent information tracking food shipments.
Nevertheless, U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealed that only 8,298 commercial freight-hauling trucks entered Alaska from the Yukon in fiscal year 2024.
This figure translated to less than 23 trucks daily, which did not correlate to the approximately $2 billion of food needed annually to support Alaska’s population of nearly 750,000.
Statistics Canada confirmed food exports to Alaska from Canada, but these figures only represented a small portion of what entered the state.
The majority of fresh food arriving in Alaska did not rely on the Alaska Highway as previously assumed but rather arrived by ocean freight.
Conversations with grocery chains in Alaska highlighted that trucking on the highway was being phased out due to reliability issues, with many opting for barge deliveries instead.
Rachel Lord from the Alaska Food Policy Council confirmed that most food imports now came by container ship, leaving the Alaska Highway only marginally essential to the supply chain.
According to a 2023 report commissioned by FEMA, merely 4% of Alaska’s imported food traversed the Alaska Highway, with Walmart utilizing this route for fresh meat and produce.
Given the nature of Alaska’s food consumption, local subsistence gathering became pivotal, with an estimated 65% of residents engaging in harvesting wild foods.
For many, this means relying on local fish, game, and foraged plants, which significantly lessens the state’s reliance on imported food.
Alaska also has seen a growth in local farming, with an increase of 30% between 2012 and 2017, although imports still make up a large portion of the food available in stores.
The logistical pathways for food imports into Alaska are multifaceted, relying significantly on oceanic transport from the Port of Tacoma in Washington.
While some communities receive direct shipments, the bulk of Alaskans live far from major shipping routes, complicating delivery systems.
Once food arrives at the Port of Alaska in Anchorage, it must be distributed quickly, but typically this stock only lasts between three to seven days before stores experience shortages.
Alaska’s food dependence on shipping from the Lower 48 states and the logistical challenges compounded by distance poses an ongoing threat to food security.
The vulnerability caused by this over-reliance on public infrastructure for food importation is a critical factor in maintaining supply chains across the state.
Challenges such as earthquakes and other natural disasters further exacerbate the precariousness of food distribution.
In summary, while Americans at large may view food supply chains as streamlined operations, Alaska’s realities reveal a dependency on multifarious logistical systems, subsistence hunting, and growing local agriculture.
Those working within the food supply sector echo a shared responsibility in safeguarding Alaska’s food importation process — a civic project that must be nurtured and maintained to ensure community needs are met regardless of political strife.
The story of Alaska’s food supply is complex, shedding light on broader themes of connection, resilience, and the intricacies underlying the basic need for nourishment.
image source from：hcn
