Despite continued affordability concerns, trust in all food institutions increased, the second issue of the Canadian Food Sentiment Index shows
by Laura Brehaut
National Post
Food prices remain top of mind for many, according to the second issue of the bi-annual Canadian Food Sentiment Index by Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab (AAL).
Nearly 85 per cent of respondents reported that food prices have increased over the last 12 months. There was also a “dramatic” shift of perception in where food inflation might be headed over the next year. In the face of trade-war uncertainty, more than one in four Canadians are bracing for double-digit inflation.
Respondents expecting “more than 10 per cent” inflation jumped from 18.6 per cent in fall 2024 to 28.5 per cent in spring 2025.
“It’s not surprising that food is still a very big concern, and I think that’s important in itself because we have been focused on affordability of food for quite some time,” says Stacey Taylor, an assistant professor of business analytics at Cape Breton University and one of the report’s authors.