Nearly one in three Canadians have skipped meals or reduced portion sizes because they could not afford groceries, according to a new Salvation Army report that notes food insecurity has reached a four-year high.
The Salvation Army’s annual Canadian Poverty and Socioeconomic Analysis, released Nov. 3, found that 31 percent of Canadians had skipped meals or reduced meal sizes because of grocery costs, up from 27 percent in 2025.
Meanwhile, the proportion of Canadians accessing community food supports, including food banks and community kitchens, rose to 15 percent from 11 percent the previous year.
Both measures reached their highest levels in the four years covered by the study. The proportion of Canadians skipping or reducing meals had declined from 29 percent in 2023 to 28 percent in 2024 and 27 percent in 2025. Use of community food supports also fell from 13 percent in 2023 to 12 percent in 2024 and 11 percent in 2025 before rising this year….