Canadians are radically changing their shopping habits, diets, and expectations around food as grocery prices continue to soar — and experts say this shift isn’t temporary. It’s the new normal.
A new fall survey from Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab paints a troubling picture of food affordability in Canada. Four out of five respondents said groceries were their biggest financial pressure this year, outpacing housing, transportation, and utilities. One in four Canadians now struggles to afford basic food, and nearly half rely on sales, discounts, and price matching just to make ends meet.
Professor Sylvain Charlebois, the study’s senior director, says Canadians’ “relationship with food is shifting in ways that should concern all of us.” Despite recent interest rate cuts, grocery bills haven’t budged — leaving families to adjust their diets and routines to survive rising costs.
Private-label foods have surged in popularity, now accounting for 19% of all grocery purchases. Quality has improved, and shoppers are increasingly choosing no-name items over brand-name products to stretch their budgets. Couponing, loyalty points, and red-tag sales — once habits of thriftier households — have now become mainstream.
The squeeze is also changing how Canadians eat. Dining out has dropped sharply, with nearly a third of people spending less than $50 a month on restaurants or takeout. Even when they do indulge, they’re paying more and receiving less as the food-service industry downsizes and restructures.
At home, rising meat prices are forcing tough choices. Beef has become unaffordable for many families, pushing consumers toward chicken — which has itself climbed more than 6% in price in October alone. Some are turning to cheaper protein sources like canned tuna, pork, and whole chickens, though even whole-bird prices are up 20% this year.
Despite the strain, Canadians remain loyal to local producers. More than half say they “always” or “often” choose locally made or grown products — a surge driven partly by the 2025 Canada–U.S. tariff tensions. Shoppers increasingly check labels and compare origins, discovering that “local” doesn’t always mean more expensive.
Technology has empowered consumers, too. With online flyers, price-comparison apps, and mobile alerts, Canadians are becoming strategic “power shoppers,” visiting more stores per month than before the pandemic. Rotating between big-box grocers, discount chains, and specialty shops has become a routine part of saving money.
But the bigger picture is more troubling. Food insecurity is rising across the country, and many households — even middle-income ones — are dipping into savings to keep food on the table. Charlebois warns that when families enter “survival mode,” the impacts ripple far beyond grocery aisles.
“Food is not just another retail category,” he says. “It’s a basic right and a determinant of health. When affordability declines and insecurity rises, the foundation of the food system becomes fragile.”
For a G7 country, the growing number of food-insecure households is a stark warning. And with no sign of grocery prices easing soon, Canadians may be living with this new reality for years to come.