Expect Food Prices To Remain High

A food professor at Dalhousie University says we better get used to higher food prices.

 

"This year we were already expecting a high food inflation rate, back in December for 2020. That's not going to change," said Dr. Sylvain Charlebois. "The problem is that the general inflation rate is going to be very low, so 4% will probably feel more like a 10%. It's good news for people who want to stay home and cook because you'll save money but it's bad news for people who will likely go back to their old ways, go out to the restaurant because you're probably going to be spending way more than before."

 

Charlebois notes on the supply side, COVID-19 is making everything more expensive, adding new cleaning protocols, higher salaries, and building infrastructure for e-commerce will all cost more.

 

On the flip side, he adds each household in Canada is saving approximately $5 a day by cooking at home and avoiding restaurants.

Video: How to Capture the $80 Million Ground Pork Opportunity | 2026 Retail Trends

Meat is having a moment, and ground pork is perfectly positioned to help you capture new category growth.

In this business intelligence deep-dive, National Pork Board experts Bailey Morrell and Rick Smith break down the latest consumer behaviors, retail trends, and an $80 million incremental retail opportunity in ground pork.

Watch to learn how expanding your ground pork offerings, utilizing proper fat-lean ratio labeling, and building a dedicated "grinds set" can attract Gen Z and Millennial shoppers while driving "center of the plate" profitability.

we cover:

• Insights from the 2026 Power of Meat presentation.

• Why ground pork is the "gateway meat" for younger, high-value shoppers.

• How adding just two new ground pork SKUs can drive incremental sales.

• Actionable merchandising strategies, including the right fat-lean ratios for specific recipes.