Majority of people willing to spend more on Canadian groceries, regardless of income

A new study finds Canadians are willing to spend more to buy Canadian.

New data released this week shows the majority of Canadians are willing to spend more on food farmed at home, compared to the United States, regardless of their income.

Narrative Research surveyed residents to see if they would rather buy groceries that cost $120, with the guarantee the food is from Canadian farms, or rather buy the same groceries from the States for $100.

Seventy-six per cent of people, regardless of region or income, responded by saying they would pick the more expensive Canadian groceries.

Of the 76 per cent, 70 per cent said they would even choose Canadian groceries that cost $140 compared to the $100 in U.S. products.

“It’s extraordinarily clear that Canadians are still very much seeking Canadian products to purchase, and now we have clear evidence that they feel so strongly, that a strong majority is willing to pay more for Canadian products,” said Margaret Chapman, Narrative Research’s COO.

“Although many trends fade with time, the buy Canadian sentiment is clearly enduring.”

“We have seen that Canadians are extraordinarily supportive of the ‘Buy Canadian’ movement, and we now have evidence to suggest that, in fact, they’re willing to put money to that sentiment,” added Narrative Research’s CEO, Margaret Brigley.

The results are hardly a surprise to Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab.

“What we’re learning from the survey is simply this, Canadians are upset with Americans, and that’s going to last a while,” he said.

Charlebois believes the movement isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but says Canadian businesses should still focus on keeping their prices competitive and affordable.

“It is an opportunity for the food industry in Canada to reposition itself as a competitive play, so it can give Canadians more reasons to buy Canadian, not just the fact that they are Canadian,” he said.

The online survey was conducted earlier this month with data from 1,230 Canadian adults.

The data was also weighted based on the 2021 census by gender, age, and region.

Narrative Research is a non-partisan Canadian-owned company.