Over Half of Canadians Want More Plant-Based Food As Inflation Bites

New data shows surging demand for plant-based food in Canada, but prices remain both an opportunity and a challenge for companies in this space.

More than half of Canadians are looking to increase the amount of plant-based food they eat, driven by inflation, animal rights, and environmental concerns.

The findings come from a 1,010-person poll by Bryant Research on behalf of Humane World for Animals, revealing that 24% of consumers are actively trying to consume more plant-based foods, and another 30% are interested in doing so.

The interest in vegan food represents an increase from similar polls in recent years, according to Humane World for Animals, which said the data highlights “an ongoing and urgently needed shift in Canadian eating habits”.

Price the top driver and barrier of plant-based consumption

The dominant theme of the survey was the influence of food prices on purchasing decisions. Globally, the cost of meat reached an all-time high in mid-2025, making it the top driver of food inflation (alongside vegetable oils).

In many countries, plant-based milk, meat and other proteins are now cheaper than their animal-derived counterparts, delivering crucial cost savings to consumers facing the brunt of the impact of climate change and geopolitical tensions on the food system.

This is why, in Canada, food costs are a top driver of plant-based food consumption, with 33% of survey respondents citing this factor. This is followed by compassion for animals (30%) and concerns about the climate impact (29%), while health considerations like lowering chronic disease risk (23%) and antibiotic resistance (21%) also play an important role.

At the same time, though, the reality is that most vegan alternatives remain more expensive than industrially farmed meat and dairy products. Meat analogues, for instance, are priced at least 30% higher in Canada due to high production costs, specialised ingredients, and smaller-scale processing. So it isn’t a surprise that 45% of consumers say cost is the main reason they don’t eat more plant-based food.

There are several other areas of improvement for plant-based food in Canadians’ eyes. For 36% of the respondents, the taste or texture of plant-based food remains a barrier; 33% are concerned about the nutritional value.

Others highlight practical issues like family preferences (30%), limited variety (25%) and lack of cooking skills (19%) as obstacles to plant-based eating, indicating a “clear need” for accessible, cost-effective and appealing solutions.

Canadians want government support for plant-based food

“The takeaway is clear: consumers are increasingly gravitating towards more plant-forward meals, seeing that they simply make sense for their wallets, their values and the planet,” said Riana Topan, programme director of farmed animal protection at Humane World for Animals Canada.

The plant-based sector in Canada has been recognised as “central to the country’s broader food tech ecosystem”, representing a quarter of all domestic food tech companies and garnering 12% of the industry’s total funding.

However, a lack of private investment and the impact of US tariffs have posed serious threats to food businesses, including plant-based producers. In August, Hain Celestial announced that it had discontinued legacy meat-free brand Yves Veggie Cuisine, which was first founded in 1985 by Yves Potvin. And last month, Potvin’s latest brand, vegan seafood maker Konscious Foods, also ceased operations.

This makes policy support for plant proteins even more important. To its credit, Canada is a leader in state-led financing for alternative proteins – in 2023, it topped the list, thanks primarily to a $112M outlay by Protein Industries Canada. In fact, the public-private partnership has committed over $260M towards plant proteins until 2028.

In Humane World for Animals’s poll, the majority of respondents agreed that the government should invest in protein diversification and prioritise more sustainable and healthier proteins in public institutions ike hospitals, schools and prisons

“When governments, institutions and food businesses make plant-based choices easy and delicious, they’re not just meeting the growing demand – they’re helping build a healthier, more just and sustainable food system,” said Topan.