We’re all, by our nature and heritage, omnivores. That means we eat everything that’s edible – meat or veg. But the new Canada Food Sentiment Report says that approach to eating is fading in favour of that nutritionists call ‘flexitarianism’…
Food is top-of-mind
Food remains Canada’s top household concern, outpacing all other expense categories, including utilities (29.9 per cent) and housing (22.4 per cent), National Post reports. After peaking at 84.1 per cent in fall 2024 and dropping to 79.7 per cent in spring 2025, 81.1 per cent of Canadians identified food as the expense that increased the most in the past year.
“We’re really in a tight corner,” observes Stacey Taylor, an assistant professor of business analytics at Cape Breton University and coauthor of the report. “And as things rise, we have less money to (spend on) the various things we need, so people are trying to be very conscious in terms of where their spending goes and where they’re going to be able to get the most value for the money that they are spending.”
In a nutshell…
Canadians are paying 4.4 percent more for groceries this spring than they were a year ago. That’s a real increase of just under $23.00 more per month. But to many, it feels much higher.
The survey of 3,000 Canadians from all across the country and all walks of life found that 31 percent believe there’s been a five to seven per cent increase in food prices over the past 12 months. Slightly fewer Canadians (29.7 per cent) reported they felt increases were more than 10 per cent.
Clamping down harder
Canadians are apparently using the same compensatory measures they have been resorting all along, since the COVID crisis tapered off. They’re making tough decisions about whether to buy brand-name or house-brand products. They’re changing what they buy – downgrading their food choice expect-ations. And they’re starting to shift toward a diet in which plant products play a larger part.
In addition. More Canadians reported they’re buying food products mainly on price, rather than paying slightly more for local produce. ‘Buy Canadian’ was still a significant ‘thing’ among shoppers last year at this time.
And while Canadians are maintaining their overall preferences, they’re widening the range of what’s acceptable on their plates. Affordability is also, apparently, winning out over nutritional value in the consumer mindset.
And that leads to what may be the Sentiment Report‘s most interesting finding: ‘Though most Canad-ians (55 per cent) still report an omnivorous diet, its share has dropped by 6.6 per cent since spring 2025 and 12.6 per cent since fall 2024,” the National Post sums up. “Several diets saw increases over the past 12 months, including flexitarian (+2.6 per cent), paleo (+1.6 per cent) and vegetarian (+1 per cent). Nearly one in 10 (9.4 per cent) reported following a flexitarian diet.”
What’s a ‘flexitarian’?
Flexitarianism is a new eating plan concept that has arisen only in the past few years, since we all started thinking about the decreasing sustainability of animal protein and associated nutritional issues.
As a Flexitarian, you get to go with the flow and eat whatever you want, always in moderation. Consider the restrictions and attendant drawbacks of other dietary regimes:
Vegans eat only vegetable matter. No Dairy, Eggs or anything like that.
Vegetarians come in many flavours, depending on what eother foods they may allow in their diet besides veggies….
Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs along with anything Veggie.
Lacto-vegetarians eat eggs and dairy products along with anything veggie.
Pollo-vegetarians eat only poultry, along with anything Veggie.
Pisca-vegetarians eat only Fish along with anything Veggie.
My take
I can attest I’m with the flexitarians. I’ve been making small, but permanent shifts in what I eat and what I buy at the supermarket. I’ve been able to keep my food budget relatively stable without sacrificing any nutritive content. But that’s pretty easy for me, since I have a background in food-service and cooking. I know what can step in for what. And how they compare nutritionally.
But the average consumer probably isn’t as well-versed as I am in the ‘finer points’. And they may be making unequal substitutions. Or ending up with affordable grocery lists that don’t actually provide the full daily recommended ‘dose’ of some essential nutrients. That’s a particular problem for folks new to vegetarianism or veganism.
Let’s hope folks trying to keep their food budgets together will make choices that also keep their bodies and souls together…
~ Maggie J.