Rising food costs expected to add $800 to Canadian families’ grocery bills in 2025

A new report warns that food inflation could increase Canadian families’ annual grocery bills by around $800 next year, taking a bigger toll on Quebecers’ budgets.

As grocery prices climb, Lise L’Heureux says her shopping habits have changed over the last year.

“When I'm ready to go grocery shopping, I'll go to the websites for the flyers and I'll look at what the best price is,” she explained.

She's not alone. Staff at an Esposito grocery store have noticed shifting trends in how customers shop.

“They come everyday now, instead of coming Saturday and Sunday to do their full grocery. They come on a daily basis to always check for specials,” says assistant manager, Normand Shannon.

Produced by several Canadian universities, the report highlights the growing strain on household finances, with grocery bills projected to rise by three to five per cent. Meat prices, already soaring this year, top the list with an expected increase of four to six per cent.

“I think the most concerning thing that's coming out of the report this year, is we've estimated just slightly over an $800 increase. So now we're talking, you know, just shy of $17,000 to feed a family of four,” said Stuart Smythe, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan.

Smythe added that vegetable prices are rising due to Canada’s reliance on U.S. produce and the declining value of the Canadian dollar.

“It's got to be increasingly stressful for households that are sort of on a fairly fixed budget and facing increasingly difficult choices,” he says.

Food insecurity is becoming a growing concern for many.

“Everything is like almost doubled in a lot of the stuff I buy, and I can afford it, but I think of all those people who can't and what do they live on” L’Heureux said.