The Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University recently collaborated with Caddle on a survey to discover how Canadians are dealing with changing challenges in the food market. The survey, conducted in September 2023 and published in Grocery Business, revealed that consumers are changing their grocery shopping habits due to the rising cost of food.
Here are three key takeaways from the survey.
1. Canadians are feeling the crunch from higher food prices.
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64.1% of respondents say they have substantially changed how they shop for food.
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86.4% say they are more price-conscious than a year ago.
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55.1% are using cost-saving measures more than they were a year ago, including using coupons (74.8%), food-rescuing apps (52.8%), loyalty programs (79.2%) and “enjoy tonight” deals (41.4%).
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49.7% of consumers say they have thought about growing their own food.
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79.1% say they have reduced food waste significantly over the past year.
2. Consumers are changing how and where they shop for groceries.
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41.2% of Canadians visit grocery stores less often than they did a year ago, and strategize by stocking items when they are on sale.
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26.5% say they visit grocery stores more often to capitalize on deals, and only purchase food necessary for two to three days.
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59.3% of consumers say they are now more likely to shop at dollar stores than they were a year ago.
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18.5% of respondents visit farmers’ markets more often.
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63.8% are now more likely to purchase store brands rather than national brands to save money.