Canadians Say Grocery Costs Remain a Top Concern: Survey

A customer holds a shopping basket at a Metro grocery store In Toronto on Feb. 2, 2024. The Canadian Press/Cole Burston

Canadians are looking for ways to save on grocery bills as the cost of food remains a top concern, according to a recent survey.

The Canadian Food Sentiment Index by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax, released on Nov. 20, looks at Canadians’ views on food affordability and purchasing behaviours.

Four in five (80.6 percent) of respondents said that the cost of food was their top expense pressure. That is down from 84.1 percent in 2024, but up from 79.7 percent recorded in the spring of 2025.

The second biggest concern for Canadian consumers is the cost of utilities with 26.7 percent, followed by the price of household items and supplies at 25.7 percent.

Twenty-three percent identified the cost of housing as their biggest financial concern.

About half of those surveyed, (50.2 percent) said food prices “increased significantly” over the past 12 months, compared with 33.7 percent who said prices “increased slightly,” and 11.8 percent who said prices stayed the same.

Of those surveyed, 20.7 percent said they spend more than $600 on groceries every month, which is up from the previous survey in the spring at 18.8 percent.

Statistics Canada said that prices for food from grocery stores increased 3.4 percent year-over-year, down from the 4.0 percent reported in September.

Food prices have remained higher, and exceeded overall inflation for nine consecutive months, according to StatsCan.

Sylvain Charlebois, the lead investigator for the index, said that Canadians were adapting to the increase in prices.

“Canadians are adapting, but they’re tired,” Charlebois said. “What we’re seeing in this report is not just frustration with prices, but a deeper concern about fairness, transparency, and the future of our food economy.”

Consumers have responded to the increase in prices by changing their shopping habits, with nearly half of those surveyed (48.6 percent) saying they sought out more sales or deals, 23 percent saying they’ve been using coupons, another 23 percent of respondents said they’ve been shopping at discount stores, and 22.3 percent say they’ve spent more time looking online for the best prices.

About 21 percent said they’ve stopped buying non-essential items, like ice cream, and 19.3 percent have switched to a different brand.

Canadians are also showing more support for locally made products, according to the survey.

It found that 51.9 percent of consumers are looking for local foods, up from 33.5 percent in 2024.

“Many households see buying local as a way to regain control—supporting farmers, supporting domestic processors, and helping strengthen Canada’s food sovereignty,” Charlebois said.

The Dalhousie survey was conducted on Oct. 9 with 2,977 Canadians surveyed.

The index is published twice a year by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab in collaboration with Caddle.