Canada Better for You Eating Trends: 2026
Healthy eating remains a priority for Canadians, but everyday realities are redefining what progress looks like.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook for better-for-you eating trends
- Opportunities
- Make healthy eating feel affordable, enjoyable and repeatable
- Build inclusive health platforms for the majority, not edge cases
- AI informs, but use human expertise to persuade
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THE MARKET
- Canadian consumers and the economic outlook
- CPI rises as higher input prices threaten price stability
- Graph 1: annual change in CPI and retail food prices by month, January 2019-March 2026
- Focusing on older consumers is critical for promoting dietary wellness
- Graph 2: aging trends, 1921-2046
- Obesity rates in younger adults have risen sharply
- Graph 3: percent of individuals with a self-reported obese body mass index, by age, 2015 & 2022
- Cancer and heart disease: Canada’s leading causes of death
- Graph 4: leading causes of death, 2024
- Wellness is a key factor when food and drink shopping, but not the main one
- Graph 5: what matters most when shopping for food and drinks at grocery stores (select three), 2026
- Front-of-package labels may nudge behaviours
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THE CONSUMER
- What eating healthy means
- Position better-for-you food choices as an investment
- Graph 6: motivations for choosing better-for-you foods and drinks, 2026
- Appeal to Canadians’ pragmatic approach to healthy eating
- Graph 7: how often consumers try to eat healthily, 2026
- Moderation reflects lived experience among older cohorts
- Graph 8: how often consumers try to eat healthily, by generation, 2026
- Tap into different generational motivations for healthy eating
- Graph 9: motivations for choosing better-for-you foods and drinks, by generation, 2026
- Address the barriers that keep healthy eating out of reach
- Graph 10: prevents consumers from eating healthy more often, 2026
- Reframe wellness from premium to practical
- Graph 11: prevents consumers from eating healthy more often, by financial situation, 2026
- What eating healthy means – action items
- Dietary changes that impact health
- Long-established practices persist as a foundation for eating well
- Graph 12: dietary changes consumers feel impact their health, 2026
- Protein is a generational outlier
- Graph 13: dietary changes consumers feel impact their health, by generation, 2026
- Opportunity for specific benefits with a foundation of balanced, healthy eating habits
- The evolution of influence in health
- Anchor health messaging in trusted expertise
- Graph 14: sources where guidance is typically sought on healthy eating, 2026
- Tailor health messaging delivery by generation
- Graph 15: sources where guidance is typically sought on healthy eating, by generation, 2026
- Accuracy concerns inhibit AI’s potential as a health advisor
- Graph 16: attitudes toward AI informing healthy eating habits, 2026
- AI concerns span generations, but younger individuals are more optimistic
- Graph 17: attitudes towards AI informing healthy eating habits (any agree), by generation, 2026
- Boost discovery with retailer AI search and meal-planning placements
- Build trust by embedding health benefits into brands’ purpose
- Graph 18: attitudes towards skepticism and healthy eating, 2026
- The evolution of influence in health – action items
- Areas of opportunity in healthy eating
- Digestion is a key focus, but not the only focus
- Graph 19: benefits wanted from healthy/better-for-you foods, 2026
- Frame benefits by life stage to make health messages more relevant
- Graph 20: benefits wanted from healthy/better-for-you foods, by generation, 2026
- Build inclusive health positioning, as many remain uninterested in GLP‑1s
- Graph 21: GLP-1 medication usage, 2026
- GLP-1 awareness is ahead of demand , brands should prioritize readiness over reinvention
- Graph 22: GLP-1 medication usage, 2025-2026
- Reinforce sustainable eating habits as Canadians question GLP-1 effectiveness
- Graph 23: attitudes towards GLP-1 medications and weight management, 2026
- Adapt weight management strategies for generational differences in GLP-1 acceptance
- Graph 24: attitudes towards GLP-1 medications and weight management (any agree), by generation, 2026
- GLP-1 – action items
- Food-first wellbeing
- Position healthy food as foundational support for long-term wellness
- Graph 25: attitudes toward food-first wellbeing, 2026
- Future-focused health resonates across generations
- Graph 26: attitudes towards food-first wellbeing (any agree), by generation, 2026
- “Food-first wellbeing”: turn everyday foods into practical wellness solutions Canadians trust
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PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Prioritize protein in helping Canadians plan their meals
- Graph 27: nutritional considerations when planning or preparing meals, 2025
- Launch activity reflects opportunity for protein + fibre positioning
- Graph 28: percent of food launches with high/added fibre and high/added protein claims, 2021-25
- Protein and fibre can be a platform to unlock cross-category innovation
- Graph 29: percent of total high/added fibre launches by food category, 2025
- Graph 30: percent of total high/added protein launches by food category, 2025
- Fibre + protein, one snack at a time
- Fibre + protein comes in a range of formats
- Growing recognition of the “gut-brain” axis can further promote digestive health
- Room to shroom
- Beauty-from-within appeals, but understanding lags
- Clarity by day, calm by night
- Serve midlife women by innovating food-first solutions for hormone wellness
- The impact, or lack of impact of GLP-1s
- “GLP-1 friendly” positioning needs to connect with the broader consumer base
- MAHA sentiment exists in Canada – without the movement
- The rise of “real”
- Healthy eating in 2030: what might it look like?
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APPENDIX
- Report scope
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology – Canada
- Generations
- Abbreviations
Healthy eating remains a priority for Canadians, but everyday realities are redefining what progress looks like. Cost pressures, taste expectations and confusion around nutrition steer consumers away from rigid ideals towards more flexible, realistic approaches. Health is judged by how well it fits real lives, routines and budgets.
This shift is reshaping how Canadians assess value, trust and credibility in food. Consumers look to healthcare‑led guidance for reassurance, while questioning brand‑driven health claims, particularly as more prominent nutrition labelling increases scrutiny. Balance remains a key theme, although personalization has gained traction as consumers seek benefits that match specific wellness needs. Online influencers and the rise of AI accelerate this shift, particularly among younger generations, creating a potential challenge for brands.
For the industry, relevance depends on aligning better‑for‑you eating with practicality. Everyday formats, clear guidance and credible validation can help bridge the gap between intention and action, keeping health accessible across life stages and financial situations. That said, brands need to be mindful of ever-evolving trends that can translate to growth opportunities.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
- What healthy eating means to Canadians today
- How cost, taste and value shape better‑for‑you food choices
- Differences in healthy‑eating motivations by generation
- The role of trust and credibility in health and nutrition guidance
- The role of AI and digital tools in supporting healthy eating
- The influence of emerging health narratives, including GLP‑1s and food‑first wellness
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