The federal government has pledged to fund several measures aimed at strengthening food security and affordability.
“We’re working to address the root causes of inflation and working on longer-term solutions to bring down the cost of groceries in Canada,” said Prime Minister Mark Carney. “That starts by improving the resilience of our supply chains.”
“Global supply chain shocks caused by tariffs, weather events from a changing climate, and geopolitical disruptions have caused food prices to rise faster than overall inflation,” he added.
Carney announced Monday morning the government’s new plans for a national food security strategy, including support for food infrastructure and the Competition Bureau, a grocery rebate and unit-label pricing.
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WHY IT MATTERS: Food affordability and insecurity remain major barriers for Canadian consumers.
In the 2025 budget, the government called food security a key factor in Canada’s agricultural competitiveness. Food affordability and insecurity remain major barriers for Canadian consumers.
Tariffs have added more uncertainty to the issue, affecting prices throughout 2025. Retailers have passed on many of these supply chain costs to consumers.
The government committed $500 million from the previously announced Strategic Response Fund toward helping food businesses expand capacity.
It will also introduce immediate expensing for greenhouse buildings, allowing producers to fully write off greenhouses acquired on or after Nov. 4 of last year.
Carney said there will also be support for the Competition Bureau to monitor and enforce competition in markets.
Another announced measure is unit label pricing “so Canadians can compare easily, in this era of shrinkflation.”
— With files from Reuters
