Nearly one in five Canadians experience food insecurity, despite agricultural capacity: study

Canada climbed a few spots in the Agri-Food Most Influential Nations ranking – but there’s still room for improvement.

A new study by the Dalhousie University Agri-Food Analytics Lab found that Canada’s agri-food sector is growing thanks to trade and innovation, but millions of Canadians still face ongoing food insecurity.

The report, which was commissioned by MNP, was released to mark World Food Day. It found that Canada rose from 11th place to seventh place in the Global Agri-Food Most Influential Nations ranking, which sets benchmarks for G20 nations and the European Union.

The rankings are based on six key performance pillars:

• innovation
• food security
• retail and fiscal regime
• trade
• sectoral competitiveness
• sustainability

According to the ranking, Canada still rests in the second tier, which is reserved for countries with “moderate but growing influence.” It is behind high-performance regions like the European Union, Germany, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom and France.

“The report highlights Canada’s growing strength in trade, sectoral development, and early-stage innovation,” a news release from the Agri-Food Lab reads. “More than 320 Canadian agri-food start-ups have collectively raised over US $3 billion, reinforcing the country’s global reputation for entrepreneurship and intellectual property protections.”

The report found that Canada ranks well for food access with fewer than three per cent of citizens unable to afford a nutritious diet. However, nearly 20 per cent of Canadians continue to face moderate or severe food insecurity.

“As food inflation continues and trust in the system declines, there’s growing urgency to reinforce confidence, expand access in remote communities, and improve national coordination,” the report reads.

The North Grove, a non-profit, has seen first-hand how big of an issue food insecurity is for those in the Dartmouth area.

“We thought the pandemic was going to be hard for people when it came to food insecurity, and it definitely was, but after the pandemic it’s been unbelievable,” said Anne-Marie McElrone, director of development and communications at The North Grove.

“All of our meals have more people in them. We have more people coming to the door looking for emergency food supplies. The emergency food supplies that we used to give out was a very small portion of what we do. That has increased by hundreds of per cents.”

The report also found that the top four grocery retailers control 72 per cent of sales – up from 65 per cent in 2024 – in Canada, which is one of the highest levels in the G20.

“Canada’s advancement is encouraging, but the results underscore that progress is uneven,” said Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Lab, in the news release. “We need stronger policy alignment, greater investment in commercialization, and more support for small and mid-sized enterprises to ensure that Canada’s agri-food system is resilient, inclusive, and globally competitive.”