WINNIPEG — Results from a new survey are shedding light on the growing issue of food affordability in Canada. The Salvation Army’s 2026 Poverty and Socioeconomic Analysis found 31 per cent of the 1,500 Canadians surveyed skipped meals or reduced portion sizes because they couldn’t afford groceries. This is up from 27 per cent last year. The number turning to community supports, including food banks, also rose from 11 per cent to 15 per cent this year. “It’s staggering when we think about those that are coming to the doors of The Salvation Army each and every day, arriving at our food banks or our community service locations, many of whom who have past donated to The Salvation Army and find themselves in need,” said Glenn van Gulik, who is the national spokesperson for The Salvation Army. “Skipping a meal in order to make sure their children might be able to have a dinner or a lunch to go to school with is just staggering.” The findings also reveal younger Canadians are particularly impacted. Forty-one per cent of Canadians aged 18-34 reported skipping or reducing meals; 23 per cent of younger Canadians in the same category accessed community food supports; and 76 per cent in that age range report challenges managing limited financial resources, compared with 55 per cent of those aged 55 and older. “They’re on fixed income, and needing to avail themselves of family supports or friends supports just to get by and so seeing them at the doors of a Salvation Army location, asking for help, it is really surprising and difficult to see on a daily basis, those numbers rising,” van Gulik said. Van Gulik says the survey also suggests that Canadians are more concerned about U.S. tariffs and their effect on the economy than last year, with nearly 90 per cent saying they were worried the trade war would spike prices for everyday goods. ‘Really impacting Canadians’ Three in five surveyed reported their household was already feeling the impacts from U.S. tariffs. “These are the concerns that we’re seeing on the front line, and that trickles down into things like food insecurity,” he said. “All of these ripple effects are really impacting Canadians.” At Harvest Manitoba in Winnipeg, which is the province’s largest charitable food relief organization, is also seeing more people relying on food supports. Meaghan Erbus, who is the VP of advocacy and stakeholder relations with Harvest Manitoba, says the organization serves around 60,000 people per month, with half of them being children. “That’s 50 per cent more than what we’ve seen since 2021,” said Erbus. “So we’ve really seen things hitting people harder than before.” Erbus says there are several reasons for this, but says increased costs are making things extremely hard for many. “Affordability, groceries have gone up. Transportation has gone up. All of those costs, coupled with wages not increasing as well, can create that perfect storm for folks needing to access a food bank,” she said. Seventeen-year-old Daisy Adesokan, a volunteer at Harvest Manitoba who helps pack food hampers, is also concerned about affordability, even at her age. “It’s like really expensive. One box of granola bars would be at least $5, and that’s kind of crazy, but it’s economics nowadays, and everything is going up,” she said. “I’m concerned too because I also go to the store every day to buy food, and I know it’s going to get more expensive.” As more Canadians struggle to afford the basics, volunteers like Adesokan are helping make sure families have one less thing to worry about. She says volunteering is a way to turn her concern into action, helping families facing the same rising costs she worries about herself. “I will continue to do this because it’s good, like you’re doing something meaningful for the community,” she said. “If I contribute into this, it’s like you’re doing a good thing, like you’re sowing a good seed for others.” Salvation Army’s Canadian Poverty and Socioeconomic Analysis national survey of 1,525 Canadians from the online Angus Reid Forum, balanced and weighted by age, gender and region. Conducted by Edelman Intelligence from Sept. 11 to 18, 2026. Margin of error of approximately ±2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
