Canadians spending less monthly on retail groceries

Dalhousie University food professor, Sylvain Charlebois, says Canadians are not spending as much on food as they used to.

“It is extremely low, we have never seen that before,” said Charlebois.

According to Canada’s Food Price Report, the average person should spend $339 per month on healthy food.

New numbers from Stats Canada show that in December 2020, per capita monthly spending for food was $307.

As of three months ago, Canadians are only spending $248 for groceries each month. That’s a 19 per cent drop in four years.

“People are doing anything they can to save as much money as possible, at the grocery store, and outside of the grocery store,” said Charlebois.

Charlebois said as the cost of housing, fuel, and power continue to rise, Canadians are trying to minimize food wastage, while shopping for the best possible deals.

“Like Dollarama, to buy some food,” said Charlebois.

Shopper Donna Tipert says she does a solid job finding good deals.

“I’m doing OK,” said Tipert.

Could she feed herself for just $248 a month? “No, not at all,” she said.

Rob Andrews arrived at Costco this morning to load up.

“Steak, potatoes, shrimp, I love my shrimp, salads, vegetables, and fruit,” said Andrews, who isn’t sure if he could buy all of his monthly groceries for less than $250, but he says it’s possible. “It depends on which store you go to.”

A sign marks the fruits and vegetables section of a grocery store. (Paul Hollingsworth/CTV Atlantic)

Registered dietitian Laurie Barker Jackman says there are basic cost saving strategies for shoppers to deploy.

“Before you hit that grocery store, you’ve got to shop your kitchen first,” said Barker Jackman, who urged people to take inventory of what they have in their fridge, freezer and pantry.

“Then, when it’s time to go shopping, you need to make a list stick to it,” said Barker Jackman. “What a lot of my clients will do, is buy groceries online to get them delivered, because that can help prevent impulse purchases.”

As this food cost-saving trend continues, Charlebois has concerns that Canadians are not purchasing the same quality of food as before.

“It’s hard to believe that there are no nutritional compromises being made right now,” said Charlebois.