Canada’s Food Price Report for 2026 has been released. The report was conducted by Dalhousie University in collaboration with seven other universities across Canada.
The report projects that food prices across the nation will increase by an average of four to six per cent. Ontario is one of five provinces projected to exceed the national average, along with Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
The report estimates that a family of four will have to spend over $17,500 on food in 2026. An increase of almost $1,000.
Sadaf Mollaei is research chair in the business of food for Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph, one of the schools that worked with Dalhousie on the report, and was the co-author of this year’s report.
“So, in Canada, the meat category, that’s the one that we’re going to be seeing a higher increase compared to the average, and it’s usually driven by the higher prices of beef, a trend that we’ve been seeing in 2025 as well.” Mollaei says about products expected to influence the increase.
“What we’re anticipating for 2026 is that chicken prices are also going to increase, and that would mean a bit more pressure for the consumers, because a lot of people had pivoted to chicken because beef was so expensive. Now, with chicken prices rising, they need to find some alternate choices for their protein,” Mollaei says about products expected to rise next year.
However, next year won’t just be full of increases. “But the dairy and egg category and foods, those are the categories that we’re actually going to be seeing lower price increases, so that would be some good news for consumers in that sense,” Mollaei says about food groups expected to see lower increases.
The average household income before taxes in Canada is just over $100,000 and Canadians would be expected to spend over 15 per cent of that on food in 2026.
(London Food Bank workers processing food, Naomi Ljunggren)
“When it comes to consumer, it’s about being able to afford that, and that is impacted by their income and their budget. And then that is basically impacted by so many factors that have nothing to do with food,” Mollaei says about how sustainable that kind of spending is for Canadian families.
“So, for example, if housing prices increase, or if there is a cost for the energy cost increase, or even the Canadian dollar currency weakens, then that’s going to impact people’s disposable income. And usually, when there are budgetary limitations, food is the first category of products that is going to be seeing lower budget allocation,” Mollaei added about how these factors could affect Canadians’ food spending habits.
The 2025 Food Price Report projected an overall national average increase of three to five per cent, and the increase has been inside those projections at four per cent.
