New report finds Canadians using savings or accruing debt just to buy food

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-01

[00:00:01]At the depot in NDG, the day starts early. Volunteers are busy stocking the shelves, preparing for clients to come in and collect food for the week. For many, this has become a regular stop, and the need keeps growing.

[00:00:15]>> We're fully operating at capacity. So, it's 21,000 food bank uh food baskets we served last year to over 3,500 homes in NDG and beyond. Brennan says it's not just more people, it's also new people with a different reality.

[00:00:30]>> The percentage of people who have employment income, who either have a part-time or full-time job, has increased year after year. Right now, last year it was 30% of people who came to the food bank had some form of employment income.

[00:00:42]>> A new Canadian food sentiment index released this week highlights growing pressure on household budgets. One in three Canadians, 34%, say they're dipping into savings or borrowing money to buy food. Nearly half of respondents, 45% are buying strictly what's on sale as food prices have climbed almost 30% over the past five years. And that pressure is reaching younger people, too. At John Abbott College, a small campus food pantry is seeing a surge in demand, a 40% increase in two years.

[00:01:15]>> Students aren't able to make ends meet.

[00:01:18]Uh that they don't have access to food.

[00:01:22]uh they're coming to school hungry. Um there is still a lot of stigma surrounding using a food bank on campus.

[00:01:29]We're really making a lot of efforts to try to destigmatize that.

[00:01:34]>> For some that means making difficult tradeoffs, what to buy, where to shop, and sometimes what to go without.

[00:01:40]>> I make my list. I go to different places. I try to check all the good prices, everything that I can. Like every penny makes a difference. Right now, if you can save on certain things, of course, we're going to do what's best.

[00:01:55]>> And for a growing number of people, every penny counts. Felicia Pearllo, Global News, Montreal.