A new report from Food Banks Canada says the number of Canadians struggling with food insecurity continues to grow, as food bank visits hit a new record of more than 2.3 million in March.
The non-profit organization’s latest HungerCount report, released Wednesday, says the cost-of-living crisis and economic pressures are weighing heavily on nearly 10 million Canadians experiencing food insecurity.
Its annual survey recorded more than 2,355,000 visits to food banks across Canada in March 2026, an 8.7 per cent increase from the March 2025 record of more than two million visits.
The report says more than a third of this year’s food bank visits, or nearly 776,000, were made by children.
Food Banks Canada CEO Kirstin Beardsley says people are “running out of options” as they try to balance essential spending, such as paying rent, with rising grocery costs.
The HungerCount report says that since 2021, food prices increased by about 30 per cent, housing costs by 28 per cent and transportation by roughly 24 per cent.
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One in five food banks across Canada are reportedly running out of food before meeting the needs of all their clients.
“A lot of folks who used to give to food banks are now finding themselves in need of those services,” Beardsley said.
“A job is not enough to ensure that you are not in need of a food bank anymore,” she added. “There’s no other room in their budget to do anything.”
Beardsley said the federal government’s new Canada Groceries and Essential Benefit is one “positive investment,” but it’s not nearly enough to bridge the gap she’s seeing at the community level or in northern regions, where groceries are sold at higher prices due to transport costs.
The report includes a number of policy recommendations, such as doubling the Canada Workers Benefit for low-income residents, expanding food sovereignty initiatives in the North and investing up to $500 million toward food bank infrastructure to meet the demand.
Just another day in the life, living the dream.
Welcome to liberal Canada! These issues will continue to worsen.
Maybe someone should tell Carney because he told Canadians they have never had it so good. Carney has no help with food prices but he has money to support companies and workers because they can’t sell their products because of the tariffs that he won’t deal with. Carney and this Liberal government need to get their act together and start working to make food and other essential needs more affordable for Canadians before Canada ends up like a 3 world country
@Ben 859 am. Shut up. Do you have a life?
Food banks Canada CEO Kristin Beardsley says food banks are running out of food !!! Question what’s your salary as CEO Kristin $150,000 per year ?
Our local food bank has over 8 directors earning over $100,000 a year that’s why there’s insufficient money to buy food piggies at the trough.
To all the L I b t a r d s out there who keep voting Liberal congratulations and remember there is no affordability crises in Canada,just shut up with your elbows up and be thankful that Carney has your back Ha Ha Ha !!!
Thank a liberal voter
Food bank? You mean East Indian grocery store. Please import more migrants our social programs aren’t stressed enough.
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Carney promised lower grocery prices during the 2025 Election Campaign.
Good ol censorship and the truth. Global is going out of their way to delete truth. THE LIBERALS WILL STARVE US OUT! They will have everyone in tidy little cities and cubes. They are dragging us toward a third world ghetto.
F*CK THE LIBERALS AND GLOBAL!!
Yet liberals still bury their heads in the sand and deny an affordability crisis. Just like Ben Dover below. Blind and dumb!Elbows up!
@Journalism’s ded 838am. Respectfully, you just spouted off more misinformation and racism from the right.
I believe the Carney government should take more decisive action to support individuals and families struggling to afford basic necessities. The government has already taken some action but this is not enough.
@Journalism’s ded – ” Most of them are Indian students who want “free” food! There are hundreds of videos online of Indians showing how to scam the food banks.”
You do know you can go to a temple and they will give you food for free. Just keep lying like your cult Orange leader. If journalism is dead why you MAGAS are always here, reading MSN? Real accountable news, maybe?
Most of them are Indian students who want “free” food! There are hundreds of videos online of Indians showing how to scam the food banks.
This trend started years ago. Perhaps you can argue it has been exasperated by tariffs, but the Liberal’s economic vandalism got it started.
This began long before tariffs….