Significant shift in Canadian consumer shopping habits due to US trade threats 

Food Processing Skills Canada (FPSC) has released its consumer research report, Impact of US Tariffs on Canadian Food Consumer Behaviour, indicating Canadian consumers are changing their shopping habits.

“There is an opportunity here for Canadian food and beverage businesses to reach consumers looking for local and Canadian products and for policymakers to use the tools at their disposal to get more Canadian products in front of consumers,” said Jennefer Griffith, Executive Director, Food Processing Skills Canada.

Research confirmed that the political environment has had a direct impact on Canadian consumer shopping habits. 98% of survey respondents have heard about tariffs or trade restrictions between Canada and the USA and 85% are concerned, said the organization.

“This concern has caused a drastic shift in behaviour with 43% of consumers making significant changes to their grocery shopping habits in the last two months. The primary motivation for these changes is a desire to buy Canadian products (81%) and avoid U.S. products (76%). Seniors prioritize buying Canadian, while immigrants and those under 35 place less emphasis on it. Buying products from one’s own province is more important to Quebecers (82%) and less so to Albertans (48%),” it said.

67% of consumers report buying more Canadian products in the past two months, including 26% who indicate buying “much more.” Consumers are most likely to report buying more Canadian produce, followed by bakery and grains, canned goods, meat/poultry/seafood, and dairy products. Alcoholic beverages are at the bottom of the list. Half of consumers report shopping at Canadian grocery retailers more often, said the report.

“The top motivations for buying more Canadian products are the belief that it’s good for the economy (86%), “anger/frustration” with the U.S. (75%), a desire to help Canadian food and beverage processors (72%), and Canadian pride (71%). Very few are motivated by a belief that Canadian products cost less. 52% of consumers who increased their purchases of Canadian products report an increase in their grocery bills, but only 5% consider the increase to be “much more expensive,” it explained.

“However, identifying Canadian products remains a significant challenge. Only 40% of consumers find it easy to determine how “Canadian” a product is. The most common method for identifying Canadian products is reading product labels (76%), followed by looking for Canadian symbols (e.g., flag) on packaging. Only 11% use mobile apps or online tools and only 47% of respondents correctly identified “Product of Canada” as the “most Canadian” product, highlighting a lack of understanding of labeling.

“The research shows that 48% of those who haven’t increased their purchases of Canadian products want to start doing so, but difficulty identifying Canadian products is a major barrier for this group. 70% of all consumers say they would buy a lot more Canadian products if it was easier to determine how Canadian it is.”

The report is part of a series of consumer surveys gathering insights into Canadians’ grocery shopping habits, perceptions of available products, and response to increasing food prices and inflation. This final report in the series also assessed awareness and concern regarding US tariffs and trade rhetoric.

To learn more about additional consumer insights and industry recommendations download the report here.

Food Processing Skills Canada is the food and beverage manufacturing industry’s skills training and workforce development organization. As a non-profit located in Ottawa with representatives across Canada, the organization supports food and beverage manufacturing businesses in developing skilled and professional employees and workplace environments.

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