TORONTO -- Canadians may not be too worried about pandemic pounds and they plan to be more giving in 2021, according to a new survey of food resolutions.

Only 30 per cent of Canadian respondents to a survey released Friday by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab (AAL) at Dalhousie University and Angus Reid plan on changing their diet and eating healthier in 2021 – a drop of 28 percentage points compared with last year’s survey and a break with the traditional end-of-year vow to eat better the next year.

“We were quite surprised by that given all the discussions about the quarantine 15. We’re not moving as much and we are also closer to the kitchen all the time,” said Sylvain Charlebois, senior director of the AAL at the Halifax university.

"But it’s been an emotional year and people aren’t really thinking about healthy eating and their weight. They are just focused on getting through right now. That will change when we can get on with our lives,” he said.

Charlebois was cheered by the 16 per cent who said they plan to donate to a local food pantry next year, which doubled the number of those who said the same last year.

As well, 43 per cent of survey-takers said they will change food shopping habits in 2021, compared with 53 per cent in 2020. Charlebois said he was surprised by that result given the upheaval of the pandemic.

Only 34 per cent said they will visit different retail stores in 2021, compared to 48 per cent in 2020. Familiarity has led to greater feeling of security, says Charlebois.

“I think people are very focused when they go out to shop. They grab what they need and they get out.”

Not surprisingly, shopping online is a much more popular option, with the proportion of Canadians who intend to buy more food online more than doubling over 2020. It’s still a small percentage though: just three per cent last year and seven per cent this year.

The exact same proportion year over year – 60 per cent – said they intended to eat out less.

“I would have thought going out would be a much more popular option heading into next year given how much we ate at home this year,” said Charlebois.

As for other new year food resolutions, the most popular choice was eating more fruits and vegetables, at 46 per cent. That beat out last year’s dominant resolution: cutting food waste. Only 40 per cent of Canadians said that was a goal in 2021, compared to 53 per cent last year.

And it seems Canadians may be getting sick of the kitchen, with 38 per cent saying they want to cook more in the coming year, compared to 44 per cent in 2020. But 30 per cent of respondents plan to continue to or start to garden next year, compared to 12 per cent of respondents last year.

The survey asked the same 1,520 people the same questions as last year, with some additions about the impacts of COVID-19. Almost one-third worry that the pandemic will impact their ability to pay for food in 2021 and a third feel food prices will increase.

Vegetable prices were the most worrisome for respondents at 61 per cent, followed by fruits at 58 per cent and meat at 51 per cent, but interestingly, fewer Canadians feel prices in those categories will increase in 2021 over the same time last year.

“People, I guess, are resolved to accept their fate as consumers. Food inflation is an economic reality but it’s outpaced general inflation for many years now and 2021 will be no exception,” said Charlebois.

Canada’s Food Price Report for 2021, released Dec. 8, found that the average Canadian family will pay up to an extra $695 for food next year (a $13,907 grocery bill for an average family of four), the highest increase ever predicted by an annual food price report.

The pandemic, wildfires and other climate change impacts were found to be major factors, driving up prices for bread, meat and vegetables.