News Policy
Canadians have already earned enough to pay their entire year’s grocery bill

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) has calculated that by Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, a Canadian household of average income will have earned enough to pay their entire year’s grocery bill. The day on which this mark is met is referred to as Food Freedom Day.

Each year, CFA examines the proportion of income that Canadians spend on food as a way to explore year-over-year expenditure changes and raise consumers’ understanding of Canada’s food system, from Farm-Gate-to-Plate.

Canadians spent 10.9 per cent of their disposable income on food in 2019, which is slightly lower than the 11 per cent of disposable income spent on food in 2018. While prices for some foods are set to increase in 2020, these increases have occurred alongside slightly larger increases in disposable income. As a result, this year’s Food Freedom Day falls on a day before last year’s date, which was February 9.

Farmers only receive a small percentage of the price that consumers pay for food, particularly when the costs of production are taken into account. Canadian farmers continue to adapt to widely varying costs for inputs such as fuel and fertilizer, and to balance their plans against uncertainties in the marketplace.

Food Freedom Day demonstrates the value that Canadian farmers deliver to all Canadians – not only through quality food, but by supporting one in eight jobs, which in turn translates into vital economic contributions for our rural communities.