Canada’s Food Price Report (CFPR) 2026 projects overall food prices will rise by 4% to 6%. As a result, the average family of four is expected to spend $17,571.79 on food in 2026, an increase of up to $994.63 compared with last year. Food prices are now 27% higher than five years ago.
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While annual food inflation remains within the range forecast in the 2025 report (4%), meat prices increased faster than expected, rising between 5% and 7%. Looking ahead, Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec are forecast to see food price increases above the national average next year.
Food Price Forecasts for 2026
As you can see, meat is expected to see the largest jump, rising between five and seven per cent. Restaurant meals prices are also projected to rise noticeably, up to 6% from last year — but not the price of McDonald’s Value Meals or small coffee, which will remain unchanged throughout 2026.
Looking at last year’s report’s projections, it proved largely accurate. It had forecast overall food price increases of three to five per cent, and the latest Consumer Price Index data shows grocery prices rose by four per cent — squarely within that range.
The forecast for 2025, was that a four-person family — a man and woman aged 31 to 50, a boy aged 14 to 18, and a girl aged 9 to 13 — could spend up to $16,833.67 on food, while the total came in lower, at $16,577.16.