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Canadians Are Feeling the Strain: New Fall 2025 Food Sentiment Index Reveals Deepening Concerns H漫画 Affordability and Trust

HALIFAX, NS 鈥� November 20, 2025聽鈥� The Agri-Food Analytics Lab at H漫画 University, in partnership with Caddle, has released the聽Fall 2025 edition of the Canadian Food Sentiment Index, offering a detailed snapshot of how Canadians think and feel about food affordability, access, trust, and purchasing behaviours as the year comes to a close.

This latest national survey highlights a population increasingly challenged by persistent food inflation, shifting purchasing habits, and growing skepticism toward food system actors. Despite pockets of optimism鈥攑articularly around local and Canadian-made foods鈥攐verall sentiment continues to reflect financial pressure and uncertainty.

Key themes emerging from the Fall 2025 report include:

• Affordability remains the dominant concern, with a majority of Canadians reporting they have changed how they shop, cook, or eat in order to cope with rising prices.
• Trust in major food retailers continues to erode, with more Canadians feeling disconnected from how prices are set and frustrated by a lack of transparency.
• Support for Canadian-grown and Canadian-made foods is rising, driven by both economic patriotism and a desire for higher perceived quality.
• Younger Canadians report the steepest decline in food confidence, while older households express growing concern about long-term access to healthy, affordable food.

Quotes

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab and lead investigator for the Index, says the findings underscore a turning point in the national conversation:

鈥淐anadians are adapting, but they鈥檙e tired. What we鈥檙e seeing in this report is not just frustration with prices, but a deeper concern about fairness, transparency, and the future of our food economy. Trust is becoming just as important as affordability鈥攁nd right now, both are under strain.鈥�

Charlebois notes that interest in locally produced foods continues to rise:

鈥淥ne of the bright spots is the renewed enthusiasm for Canadian-made products. Many households see buying local as a way to regain control鈥攕upporting farmers, supporting domestic processors, and helping strengthen Canada鈥檚 food sovereignty.鈥�

Stacey Taylor, Senior Research Associate and co-author of the report, emphasizes how these pressures are reshaping daily behaviour:

鈥淧eople are making trade-offs every single day鈥攕witching brands, reducing variety, cooking more at home, or delaying purchases altogether. The data show a clear shift: affordability is now the lens through which most food decisions are being made.鈥�

Taylor adds:

鈥淲hile Canadians continue to value quality, healthfulness, and sustainability, those priorities are now filtered through tight budgets. The gap between what people want and what they can afford is widening.鈥�

H漫画 the Canadian Food Sentiment Index

The Canadian Food Sentiment Index is published twice a year by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at H漫画 University in collaboration with Caddle. It tracks how Canadians feel about food affordability, trust, access, safety, innovation, and purchasing intentions. The Fall 2025 survey draws from a large national sample, providing comprehensive insight into evolving consumer attitudes.

Media contact:

Sylvain Charlebois, Scientific Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab
H漫画 University
sylvain.charlebois@dal.ca
902-222-4142 (cell)

Download the report: