Canadians are keeping a stiff upper lip over food prices… But their patience is wearing thin. PWC Canada’s latest research reveals a nuanced picture regarding Canadian consumers’ dietary habits…
PWC Canada’s 2025 Voice of the Consumer Report reveals a razor’s edge situation over food prices. While national pride strongly influences shopping preferences, economic considerations ultimately guide their decisions at the checkout counter…
Key findings…
- 76 percent of Canadians are concerned about the cost of food, significantly higher than the global average of 59 percent.
- 46 percent cite domestic sourcing as their top sustainability consideration, with a desire to support the local economy and a belief that locally produced food is healthier and higher quality.
- 75 percent of Canadians are willing to pay a premium for locally produced food, however, 62 per-cent of Canadians say they would still select a lower-priced imported product over a more expen-sive domestic equivalent.
The Canadian Character in a nutshell
“This disconnect reflects the tension between Canadians’ desire to shop local and the reality of their purchasing decisions at checkout,” said Elisa Swern, National Retail and Consumer Leader, PwC Cana-da. “Canadians value local products and want to support homegrown businesses, but price remains a powerful influence, especially in today’s economic climate.”
‘Stoic’ is the word
“While many aspire to healthier eating, their actual dietary changes appear more cautious. Fewer consumers are fully embracing alternative meats or vegetarian diets, indicating a slower, more de-liberate shift toward healthier habits.,” The PWC Report cautions.
“This trend contrasts with global peers, as only 45 percent of Canadians plan to increase fresh pro-duce consumption in the next six months, compared to 56 percent globally.”
And this is not particularly encouraging news for Canadian farmers, considering the Report is emer-ging just as the Canadian domestic food production season opens.
“However, Gen Z consumers are notably more inclined toward pushing for healthier choices and expect food companies to take a leading role.”
‘Made In Canada’ not enough
‘Made in Canada‘ labels alone aren’t enough to sway Canadian consumers,” says Swern. “This creates an imperative for Canadian retailers and consumer pack-aged goods (CPG) companies to build more efficient food supply chains from farm to table.”
Which, in plain English, means food supply chain players have to make real, substantial improvements in their operations – changes that result in signifi-cantly lower prices – to entice Canadian consumers to partonize Canadian products and Canadian brands.
My take
The plain truth is… Canadians are more aware of the food pricing situation than many politicians and industry observers might suspect.
We may sing ‘O, Canada’ with the same gusto as we did before food prices skyrocketed. But we’re not idiots. We’re trying to encourage Canadian food producers, manufacturers and retailers to do a better job… But we all have limits – breaking points – beyond which we will not go.
~ Maggie J.