Latest news with #Spring2025CanadianFoodSentimentIndex
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Canada's biggest worry right now is not Trump, it's something in their homes
Continue to video 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by Live Events Canadians are feeling the pressure of rising food prices as a new report from Dalhousie University 's Agri-Food Analytics Lab shows that people across the country are increasingly worried about the cost of many buying less food than they did in 2024, food affordability is now the number one concern for Canadians when it comes to inflation The Spring 2025 Canadian Food Sentiment Index surveyed 3,000 Canadians in March and found that more people now expect food prices to keep rising, with many worried about double-digit increases in the coming many families, the days of using coupons or switching stores to save a few dollars seem to be over. Instead, many are focusing on balancing their budgets and making smarter choices, like buying store brands or in bulk.'I used to clip coupons and hunt for the best deals, but now it feels like a losing battle,' says Sarah, a mother of two in Vancouver. 'I try to stick to the essentials and focus on buying what we need. It's been tough, but I'm learning to make our grocery budget stretch further.'On the flip side, this issue has pushed Canadians into buying more local food. The report shows that 43.5 per cent of people say they 'always' or 'often' buy local, a 10 per cent increase from previous trend is especially strong among younger Canadians. For many, buying local isn't just about saving money but also about supporting local farmers and Moulaison, the general manager of Arthur's Urban Market, says, "People are focused on supporting local businesses, and we're seeing more of them shop here."The survey also found that people trust independent grocery stores more than before. As food prices climb, many Canadians are turning to these stores for alternatives to big-chain feeling more stable about other costs, food prices remain the greatest challenge for many Canadians, shaping their shopping habits and priorities.
Global News
06-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
‘Stretching their dollars': New study says Canadians struggle with food prices
A new national study says that while Canadians are buying the same amount of food as they did last fall, they're trying to spend less — and anxiety around food affordability has surged nationwide. The study, the Spring 2025 Canadian Food Sentiment Index, is an initiative of Dalhousie University's agri-food analytics lab, and is intended as a snapshot of people's attitudes toward food prices and grocery shopping behaviours. According to the survey of 2,994 Canadians, stress around affordability has ballooned to 28.5 per cent — almost 10 percentage points higher than the previous edition of the study in fall of last year. Food professor Sylvain Charlebois told 680 CJOB's The Start that people are shopping around more to get deals. 'People are looking at different stores and they are looking at buying bulk way more than before, stretching their dollars as much as possible,' he said. Story continues below advertisement Some sections of the grocery store that are feeling the pinch, he said, are those that offer fresh food — something many Canadians might be eschewing to save money. 'That's the one thing that concerns us — if you are spending less, you may be making some nutritional compromises, and that's certainly not a good thing, for sure.' The spring study has also shown that Canadian shoppers — in particular younger Canadians — are choosing to buy more local products in the wake of tariffs and threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'People are starting to see local as a priority now,' Charlebois said. 'Because of what's going on with tariffs and Donald Trump, I think people are walking into the grocery store being concerned about America and of course the pressure that Canada is under right now.' View image in full screen Munther Zeid, the owner of the 'Food Fare' grocery store chain in Winnipeg. Michael Draven / Global News Munther Zeid, owner of Winnipeg's Food Fare grocery chain, says the shift to local products is something he's seeing firsthand. Story continues below advertisement 'The American products are still selling — not as quickly, but they're still selling…but the 'shop local', 'buy local' (trend) is definitely on the rise,' he said. Locally-produced grocery items like Harvest Bakery bread and Santorini yogurt, said Zeid, are flying off shelves. However, he says he's also noticing price increases for many Canadian goods, which could affect shoppers' long-term buying habits. 'The one bad thing we've noticed is a lot of the Canadian products are starting to go up in price by 10 cents here, 20 cents there. 'It's a minimal increase but it seems to be going up a little bit.' Vince Barletta of Harvest Manitoba told The Start it's unsurprising people are looking to save their dollars. He's seen the effects of food insecurity on a daily basis at the food bank. 'For, really, tens of thousands of Manitoba families, their incomes have not kept pace, have not kept up, and they're making difficult choices,' Barletta said. 'Sadly, one of those difficult choices is what goes on the kitchen table, and that's resulting in Manitoba's continued record-high demand for food banks.' Fresh food, he said, remains in high demand, as those items take the biggest bite out of people's wallets. To help meet the demand, Manitoba Egg Farmers has doubled its donation of fresh eggs to the food bank. Story continues below advertisement ''It really starts with our prodcuers, our agri-food community. We're so fortunate here in Manitoba to have that base of support from our agricultural producers. 'Whether that's eggs, whether that's meat, vegetables, fruit, those are some of the big costs, so when we can get eggs into people's food bank packages for the month, it's one of the more popular items that we distribute.'
