Alberta readies for further strain of food insecurity amid U.S. tariff threats

More Canadians access food banks, and with prices at grocery stores out of control, tariffs are expected to raise them even further.

Alberta is preparing for potential increases in food insecurity as rising grocery prices, exacerbated by ongoing trade tensions with the United States, put pressure on vulnerable populations.

Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon on Thursday would not specify what exactly is being planned.

“We have built some aspects of contingency in the budget to anticipate that there’s going to be other areas where we’re going to have to step in, in the coming months, to try to support our population,” he said.

“My focus on dollars over the last several years in this space has been about helping organizations build capacity, less about buying food and instead really focus on how I can make sure those organizations have the equipment stability they need.”

Since 2020, the province has invested $31 million into food banks.

Nixon announced Thursday, as part of Budget 2025, $5 million in food security funding will be spent to help meet the needs of Alberta’s rapidly growing population.

Nixon says the importance of partnerships with non-profit organizations and food banks helps with tackling the issue.

“The foundation that we built in Alberta in partnership with great non-profit organizations to be able to respond to what may come,” Nixon said.

“I can tell you whatever that solution would be when it comes to food security would certainly be a partnership with our food bank partners.”

Prior to the pause of U.S. tariffs on goods under the USMCA agreement, consumers were expected to see firsthand the price increases on food at the grocery store.

Gary Sands of the Federation of Independent Grocers says stores were already getting price increase requests from some of their suppliers.

It was to include food products like orange juice, peanut butter, alcohol and coffee.

Ottawa also announced a second round of retaliatory tariffs that would include fruits and vegetables, beef, pork and dairy.

That has since been paused.

Food Banks Alberta says its locations are feeling the impact of escalating food costs.

“The increase in food prices really has been a double-edged sword for food banks because it does decrease the donations we get in, and we’re very reliant on community donations,” executive director Shawna Bissell said.

“We’ve been lucky that our donations, though they have gone down, they’ve still sustained better than other provinces.”

Meanwhile, some Canadian producers are seeing increased demand amid the uncertainty.

Colin Chapdelaine of Whole Leaf Ltd., a greenhouse operation, reported a surge in sales amid tariff threats.

“We’re in most Canadian retailers currently, and we have seen numbers go up, as the rhetoric from the U.S. administration has increased,” he said.

Whole Leaf’s year-round production of lettuce, with 50,000 heads produced daily across 11 acres of greenhouse space, offers a potential solution to reducing reliance on imported produce.

“It all came from California or Mexico or Florida and now you’re seeing the greenhouse industry start to gain a bit of a foothold,” Chapdelaine said.

“We have a 12-month-a-year program where we don’t stop, and we’re able to reduce the food miles that go into delivering the product to Canadians.”

With files from The Canadian Press