CBC News
· collected 2026-10-09 · by Rosa Marchitelli, Jeremy McDonald, Tomi Joseph-Raji
Canadians are experiencing a significant increase in grocery prices, with an almost 30% rise compared to five years ago. According to CBC Marketplace, factors like climate issues, immigration policies, tariffs, and higher costs for feed and fuel have contributed to this trend. Specifically, the price of ground beef surged over ten times more than general inflation in January due to record-low cattle herds caused by dry weather reducing grass supplies. Similarly, chicken prices rose because of limited supply and avian influenza outbreaks, while tomato prices jumped due to U.S. tariffs on Mexican tomatoes and poor weather conditions affecting production.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
These 5 grocery staples have skyrocketed in price this year.
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staples → skyrocket → price
Here's why
Canadians are now paying almost 30% more for groceries compared to five years ago
Grocery prices have been going up faster than overall inflation for more than a year, with the exception of August.
Economist Jim Stanford and agriculture professor Mike von Massow
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Stanford → pay → August
say a combination of factors is driving food prices higher, including climate, immigration policies, tariffs and retailer pricing.
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combination → say → climate
Contact us marketplace@cbc.ca
Using Consumer Price Index data from Statistics Canada, Marketplace looked at some of the biggest year-over-year food price increases in 2026 and what was driving them.
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what → contact → them
In January, the price of ground beef increased by more than 10 times the rate of general inflation.
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price → increase → inflation
- Record-low cattle herds: Dry weather in western Canadian Prairies reduced grass and hay supplies.
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weather → reduce → supplies
- This forced ranchers to downsize or liquidate their herds, driving Canada's cattle inventory to its lowest level in decades.
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This → force → decades
- Raising livestock has become more expensive because of higher prices for grain feed, fuel and labour.
- Strong consumer demand: Despite sticker shock at the meat counter, demand for beef remains high, according to Canada Beef, a national not-for-profit organization that promotes Canadian beef products.
uncertain
that → raise → products
Statistics Canada also reported that strong beef demand helped drive slaughter cattle prices higher across Canada in May.
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demand → report → May
The push for protein
Stanford, the director of the Centre for Future Work, says skyrocketing beef prices have pushed some shoppers toward a cheaper protein option.
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prices → say → option
Here's why:
- Consumers shifting from beef to chicken as a cheaper protein option.
- Limited supply: There weren't enough chicks available to meet increased demand, putting upward pressure on retail prices.
- Avian influenza: Bird flu contributed to reduced supply of chicken.
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flu → shift → chicken
- Prices temporarily rose as demand increased and supply fell.
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supply → rise → ?
"That's all been compounded by the fad around protein," said Mike von Massow, a professor at the University of Guelph's Ontario Agricultural College.
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Massow → compound → College
"Everyone's saying, I need to eat more protein.
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I → say → protein
So protein prices are going up partly because of scarcity and partly because people are just conscious of eating more protein."
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people → go → protein
Economist Jim Stanford and Professor Mike von Massow explain the reasons behind some of the biggest food price increases this year.
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Stanford → explain → increases
Tomato prices soar
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prices → soar → ?
Here's why:
- Reduced U.S. farm labour: Changes to migrant labour in the U.S. affected planting.
- Shift in production to Mexico:
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Changes → reduce → Mexico
Poor weather and dry conditions reduced crops there.
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weather → reduce → crops
- Transportation costs: Higher diesel costs increased the cost of moving fresh produce to Canada.
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costs → increase → Canada
Mexico represents the bulk of Canada's imported tomatoes.
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Mexico → represent → tomatoes
Experts say the jump in tomato prices was partly due to Trump administration immigration policies.
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jump → say → policies
"Donald Trump put large tariffs on Mexican tomatoes into the U.S," said von Massow.
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Massow → put → U.S
"So they planted fewer tomatoes … and then had very dry weather.
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they → plant → weather
Much of Canada's lettuce comes from California, where growers have faced water issues, including drought.
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growers → come → drought
- Plant disease: Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) has affected lettuce production in California.
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virus → affect → California
- Reduced production: Lower supply translated into higher prices.
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supply → reduce → prices
The Competition Bureau has been examining the role of major grocers for years.
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Bureau → examine → years
In 2023, it called for more competition to help lower prices.
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it → call → prices
Its recommendations included supporting new types of grocery businesses, such as online and international grocers; limiting property restrictions that block competition in some communities; and introducing standardized unit pricing — such as per 100 grams or per litre — so shoppers can more easily compare prices.
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shoppers → include → prices
Last month, the Bureau reported progress on those recommendations, pointing to stronger competition laws and new rules in Manitoba, including a ban on new property restrictions that major grocery chains use to prevent competitors from opening locations nearby.
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chains → report → locations
Manitoba is also looking at replicating unit-pricing laws that already exist in Quebec.
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that → look → Quebec
But the Bureau said food prices remain a concern and that more action is needed.
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action → say → ?
This month, the bureau launched another investigation into supplier and retailer policies that restrict the advertising of discounts, raising concerns that Canadians are missing out on grocery deals.
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Canadians → launch → deals
The Retail Council of Canada, which represents most major grocers, told Marketplace that retailers make just two to four cents in profit on every dollar of sales for food and that any profit growth is coming from non-food sales.
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growth → represent → sales
In January, the federal government introduced the Groceries and Essentials Benefit for Canadians whose incomes fall below a specific amount.
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incomes → introduce → amount
In June, it announced a National Food Security Strategy that includes more than $3 billion in investments intended to address affordability, sustainability and resilience in Canada's food supply.
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that → announce → supply
Minister of Agriculture Heath MacDonald says the government's plan to lower grocery prices will take a while to implement.
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plan → say → while
Minister of Agriculture Heath MacDonald initially declined CBC's requests for an interview, but we caught up with him in Charlottetown last week.
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we → decline → Charlottetown
This isn't going to happen overnight," he said when asked when Canadians will see lower prices.
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Canadians → go → prices
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
