Weather Factors Driving Canada’s Food-Price Surge Expected in 2025
Canada’s food prices are projected to rise significantly in 2025, impacting families across the nation.
Canada, Food Prices, Climate Change, Meat, Poultry, Coffee, Orange Juice, Chocolate
Halifax: According to Canada’s Food Price Report 2025, families of four can expect to shell out about $800 more for food next year. That’s a jump of three to five percent from last year.
Meat is taking the biggest hit, with prices expected to rise by four to six percent. The dry weather in Western Canada and the U.S. is pushing grain prices up, making it pricier to feed livestock.
Sylvain Charlebois, a professor at Dalhousie University, points out that Canadian grocers are now importing beef from Mexico. He mentions that Canada’s beef herd hasn’t grown since 1987, even though there are 15 million more people now.
“There are fewer beef producers, so supplies are tight,” Charlebois explained in a chat with The Weather Network. He added that the same situation is happening in the U.S., so beef prices are likely to keep climbing.
On the poultry front, avian flu could also push prices higher. Charlebois noted that climate change is causing flus to spread more aggressively, and it’s now affecting Canada.
Even coffee prices are feeling the heat. The cost of arabica beans hit a record high in December due to climate issues in Vietnam and other regions.
And if you love orange juice, brace yourself. Hurricanes in Florida last year have made it tough to bounce back quickly in production.
Plus, droughts in Ghana and the Ivory Coast mean chocolate lovers will see higher prices too. But there’s a silver lining: the droughts in Greece, Italy, and Spain ended in 2024, so olive oil prices are expected to drop.
So, while some food prices are going up, it’s not all bad news!