If you’ve noticed prices in the grocery store creeping up in recent years, you’re not alone.
In the early 2020s when the pandemic hit, inflation pushed the price of groceries up faster than many other goods, according to the Bank of Canada (BoC). This means many common food items have become more expensive for Canadians, sparking conversations about affordability and the rising cost of living.
In fact, TD Economics reports that grocery prices are up more than 30% since late 2019, even as overall inflation seems to settle.
It’s become such a hot topic that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently announced some measures aimed at tackling food security and affordability. Those efforts include $500 million to help food suppliers “expand capacity and increase productivity,” a GST rebate for low- and modest-income Canadians, and $20 million in funding for food banks.
So, which four grocery categories have been hit the hardest and why? Here’s what a recent TD Economics report found.
Coffee and tea
The price of coffee and tea has increased in Canada by more than 55% since December 2019, according to TD Economics. These items are imported, making their prices sensitive to fluctuations in the Canadian dollar.
There are also other factors at play when it comes to our favourite caffeinated beverages. In 2025, there were supply issues in major coffee-producing countries such as Brazil and Vietnam, which affected prices globally. What’s more, climate change is hurting coffee farms and driving prices up.
The U.S. also placed tariffs on goods from Brazil in 2025, which had an effect since Canada imports most of its roasted coffee from the U.S. (Much of Canada’s unroasted coffee comes from places like Colombia and Brazil.)
Meat
Steak lovers will have taken note that meat is not cheap. Meat, which includes pork and other non-poultries, costs almost 50% more now than it did in late 2019, TD Economics reports. Beef prices specifically are up more than 60%.
Part of the reason why beef prices have soared is because the number of cattle has dropped in recent decades, and droughts in Western Canada have resulted in even greater herd decline. This decrease in supply comes alongside a high demand for meat.
Poor weather conditions have also affected grass and the supply and cost of hay, making it even more expensive to feed cows.
“The level of prices is unlikely to reverse course, meaning that $15 per kilo for ground beef is unlikely to suddenly drop to $10 per kilo, where it sat three years ago,” Leslie Preston, Managing Director and Senior Economist at TD Economics, said.
“Inflation is a measure of growth, not levels, and most consumers are not calculating the year-on-year increase as they shop, they remember the price... It will take time for the shock of recent price increases to wear off, and for the higher price level to seem normal.”
Eggs
The kitchen staple has seen a nearly 40% increase in price since late 2019. This could be due in part to increasing production costs. And as the BoC points out, higher food production costs lead to higher grocery prices.
While eggs do cost more today than six years ago, Americans have faced even steeper price increases for eggs. That’s largely because Canada was less affected by the avian flu that disrupted egg supplies south of the border.
Poultry
Chicken is another protein that has been affected by rising prices. According to TD Economics, the cost of poultry is up more than 37% from December 2019.
Some reasons why poultry is up include inflation and high demand. What's more, agricultural products in general need to travel to food processing facilities and grocery stores. So, when fuel prices go up, food prices can go up too, and customers may see higher prices at the store as a result.
Prices in Canada vs. the U.S.
It's important to note that even though many items have gotten more expensive, Canadian food prices overall tend to be less volatile than those in the U.S., as measured by grocery inflation.
This is especially true for categories managed under Canada’s supply management system, such as dairy, chicken, turkey, and eggs, said Preston, who authored the report.
Even still, grocery bills make up a larger share of Canadian household budgets, Preston said.
“Groceries represent 11% of the CPI basket in Canada, compared to 8% in the U.S. This means the impact of higher grocery prices is felt more acutely by Canadian families.”
You can read the full TD Economics report here.