By the Numbers – The Price of Food in Canada

Toronto – December 11, 2018 – According to Canada’s Food Price Report 2019, the average family in Canada will spend about $400 more on food in 2019 than in 2018 because of rising food prices. The annual report was produced by researchers at Dalhousie University and the University of Guelph. Below is a breakdown of the report’s findings.

• Overall food prices are expected to rise no more than 3.5% in 2019, a slight increase from last year.
   
• The average family in Canada is expected to spend $12,157 on food in 2019; up $411 from 2018.
   
• The cost of vegetables is projected to rise between 4 to 6 percent. Some analysts point to legal cannabis as one reason for this projected price increase: many Canadian vegetable greenhouses will be converted to marijuana growing facilities, resulting in tighter supply and higher prices for some domestically grown greenhouse vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.
   
• Meanwhile, edible cannabis products (including beverage products) are projected to become a $5 billion category over the next 5 years.
   
• Shoppers in Canada spend on average 35% of their food budget on buying prepared and snack foods, which are expected to go up in price by 2 to 4 percent due to rising ingredient costs.
   
• Milk and cookies will also cost more in 2019, as bakery products are projected to rise 1 to 3 percent and dairy products as much as 2 percent.
   
• Meat and seafood lovers will be happy. After years of rising prices, both meat and seafood prices in Canada are expected to hold steady or possibly fall by as much as 3 percent.
   
• Eating out will also cost the average family more – about an additional $143 in 2019.
   
• Canadian shoppers, on average, visit grocery stores 5.4 times a month and spend about 32 minutes per visit filling their shopping carts.

Source: Canada’s Food Price Report 2019