A Salvation Army survey found 41% of respondents ages 18-34 had skipped or reduced meals because groceries were unaffordable, the highest rate by age group amid a broader rise in reported food hardship.
Across all respondents, 31% said grocery costs had led them to skip or reduce a meal, up from 27% in 2025. The Salvation Army’s 2026 Canadian Poverty and Socioeconomic Analysis also found that 15% had used a food bank, pantry, food hamper or community meal, compared with 11% the previous year.
The organization said both measures reached their highest levels in four years. Meal reductions were reported by 29% in 2023 and 28% in 2024 before the 2025 increase. Use of community food services went from 13% in 2023 to 12% in 2024, then 11% in 2025.
Among respondents ages 35-54, 33% reported reducing or skipping meals; the share was 23% among those 55 and older. Community food services were used by 23% of respondents ages 18-34, 16% of those ages 35-54 and 8% of those 55 and older.
The Salvation Army report found food affordability was one of the three concerns selected most often by respondents: 37% included it among their leading concerns, up from 26% in 2025. Half said they had used savings to cover basic needs, and 40% reported taking on debt or relying on credit. For 24%, housing costs took at least half of after-tax household income.
Glenn van Gulik, The Salvation Army’s national spokesperson, said high housing costs can leave households with less to spend on food, transportation and other essentials. “For many families, making ends meet is no longer about cutting back on extras,” he said.
Statistics Canada reported that 24.0% of Canadians, about 9.8 million people, lived in households reporting some form of food insecurity in 2024, down from 25.7% in 2023. That measure covers a broader range of experiences over a different reference period, so it is not directly comparable with the Salvation Army survey’s question about meal reductions due to grocery costs.
Edelman Intelligence surveyed 1,525 members of the online Angus Reid Forum from Sept. 11-18. Responses were balanced and weighted by age, gender and region. The survey excluded Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut; its meal and food-service figures include respondents facing those challenges at the time or during the previous year. Because the sample was non-probability, a margin of error cannot be calculated.
