Canadians are struggling to put food on the table like never before, according to Food Banks Canada’s 2025 Hunger Count. The report shows 2,165,766 visits to food banks in March, the highest in Canadian history and nearly double the number in 2019. Food prices have risen 25% over the last four years, and 39% of Canadians now experience food insecurity.Children accounted for over 710,000 of those visits, making up a third of all food bank clients. Two-parent families now represent 23% of those relying on food banks, while nearly one in five visitors are employed but still cannot afford food. “Employment is no longer a reliable buffer against poverty,” the report said..Food banks have had to more than double spending, from an average of $209,700 four years ago to $535,700 today. More than half of food banks reported giving out less food than usual, and nearly a quarter ran out of food entirely.Toronto alone saw a record 4.1 million visits to food banks between March 2024 and April 2025, a 340% increase since 2019. Rising costs were cited by 96% of respondents as the primary reason for visiting a food bank, with over half visiting three or more times per month.The situation is mirrored in Québec, where the Banques alimentaires du Québec supports almost 600,000 individuals monthly, a 7.6% increase over last year.“The reliance on food banks is no longer short-term or crisis-based for many — it has become an ongoing necessity to survive,” one user said. Conservatives argue the government’s runaway deficits are driving up the cost of food, and that families need more than photo ops and buzzwords —they need affordable groceries, full cupboards, and hope.
