Overview
- Statistics Canada reported food prices rose 4.3% year over year and Dalhousie’s Canada’s Food Price Report forecasts 4–6% growth for 2026 with a family of four facing up to about $995 in added annual food costs.
- Fintech firm KOHO’s transaction analysis shows average monthly grocery spending increased from $261 to $275 and that British Columbia’s typical grocery basket rose nearly 4% over the past year.
- KOHO found shoppers are visiting discount stores more often and that use of buy‑now‑pay‑later options for groceries more than doubled, indicating households are changing where and how they pay to cope with higher costs.
- A Daily Hive price check of 10 common items at Walmart, Loblaws and Sobeys found all three chains had higher totals year over year, with the largest item increases for ground beef, canned beans and pasta and Walmart remaining the cheapest in the sample.
- The federal government has provided short‑term relief through a June GST/HST top‑up and has replaced the quarterly credit with the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit while announcing a $3‑billion investment in food production that aims to ease prices over the longer term.