Price is the main concern for consumers when grocery shopping, overshadowing environmental considerations. This has always been true, but the recent inflation surge has made savings even more crucial for Canadians to meet their budgets. For many, sustainability has taken a temporary backseat, though consumers aren’t indifferent to the issue. In uncertain times, companies are expected to take action on sustainability.
Implementing sustainability involves two key parts: creating and executing initiatives, and effectively communicating these efforts to consumers. Canadians expect companies to address environmental issues, but explaining their impact can be challenging. Sustainability is complex and science-heavy, with varied perspectives. Conveying significant but not obvious actions can be tough. For instance, reducing packaging and food waste is clear, while the importance of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, crucial in addressing climate change, may not be immediately apparent.
This report highlights what consumers value in food sustainability, identifies who is more or less responsive, and explores how consumers perceive the significance of food sustainability now and in the future.
This report looks at the following areas:
- The prioritization of the environment in grocery shopping decisions.
- Key environmental concerns consumers emphasize regarding food and drink.
- Consumer actions perceived as beneficial for the environment in food and drink.
- How does the rise in food prices affect the emphasis on sustainability in food and drink.
- Generational and political differences in perspectives on food, drink, and sustainability.
- Openness to innovation around sustainability within the food and drink sector.
While sustainability might not be the top priority for consumers when grocery shopping, it’s crucial for companies to address to stay relevant.
Joel Gregoire, Associate Director of Food & Drink Reports
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Executive summary
- What you need to know
- Consumer trends: key takeaways
- Market predictions
- Opportunities
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Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- The environment’s importance for food and drink consumers
- The environment may not be the top priority for consumers when grocery shopping, but it does matter
- Graph 1: most important considerations when shopping for foods and drinks at grocery store (top 3), 2024
- In the near term, environmental concerns have become less of a priority
- Sustainability claims can be a tie breaker for many consumers
- Graph 2: “I intentionally choose food and drink products with sustainability claims over others for…”, 2024
- Canadians view food production as an important contributor to greenhouse gas emissions
- Graph 3: industries consumers think create the most greenhouse gases (top 3), 2024
- The agriculture sector accounts for a tenth of GHG emissions
- Graph 4: GHG emissions by economic sector, 2022
- Many express optimism that the worst impacts of climate change can be avoided
- Graph 5: level of optimism or pessimism that the worst impacts of climate change can be avoided, 2024
- Areas of concern around the environment and food
- Waste tops the list of concerns around food and sustainability
- Are environmental issues becoming less important?
- Graph 6: [no title]
- Perceived higher costs dominate as the biggest barrier to buying foods with sustainability claims
- Graph 7: barriers that prevent consumers from choosing food and drink with sustainability claims more often, 2024
- What is a “green premium”?
- Sustainability needs to be relatable to be impactful
- Attitudes toward environmental responsibility
- Canadians expect sustainable food production practices from food and drink companies
- Graph 8: attitudes toward responsibility for the environmental impact of food and drink, 2024
- Consumer sentiment highlights the important role of companies in promoting sustainability
- Most agree companies need to move faster on climate change
- Graph 9: attitudes toward the speed of and trust in environmental initiatives, 2024
- Examples of Canadian food companies with GHG mitigation initiatives
- Personal actions around sustainability and food and drink
- A focus on sustainability bolsters brands’ reputations and buyer confidence
- Graph 10: attitudes toward personal actions around the environment and food and drink, 2024
- Packaging and localism connect Canadians to sustainability
- Graph 11: food and drink-related actions consumers think help the environment the most (top 3), 2024
- Consumer actions align with impactful claims in food sustainability
- Graph 12: sustainability claims that would encourage consumers to choose one food or drink product over another, 2024
- Conveying foods’ impact on sustainability can be challenging
- Environmental solutions are often more complex than they appear
- Sustainability and food prices
- When it comes to sustainability and rising costs, a short and long-term view can be taken
- Graph 13: attitudes toward sustainability and food and drink prices, 2024
- Everyday proteins from a carbon-neutral company show that caring for the environment doesn’t have to mean higher prices
- Openness to innovation
- Hurdles exist in consumer acceptance of lab-grown foods persist
- Graph 14: openness to plant-based and lab grown foods and drinks, 2024
- Compelling and mouth watering innovation can turn the tide for foods and ingredients made in novel ways
- I can’t believe it’s not butter!
- Generational views on food, drink, and sustainability
- Key differences across generations
- Gen Z holds a more optimistic perspective on climate change
- Graph 15: level of optimism or pessimism that the worst impacts of climate change can be avoided, by generation, 2024
- Gen Zs and Millennials link food choices to greenhouse gas emissions
- Graph 16: industries consumers think create the most greenhouse gases, by generation, 2024
- Younger generations prioritize environmental considerations when purchasing food and drinks
- Graph 17: environmental impact as an important consideration when shopping for foods and drinks at grocery stores, by generation, 2024
- Offering a wider range of sustainable foods and beverages can attract more younger shoppers
- Graph 18: “I intentionally choose food and drink products with sustainability claims over others for…”, by generation, 2024
- Younger and older generations hold different views on which actions most benefit the environment
- Graph 19: actions consumers think help the environment the most (top 3), by generation, 2024
- Embrace Gen Z’s eco-consciousness
- Graph 20: impact of guilt and willingness to pay more for products verified as environmentally friendly (any agree), by generation, 2024
- Younger generations are more open to innovation
- Graph 21: openness to eating plant-based and lab-grown foods and drinks (any agree), by generation, 2024
- The impact of political views on food, drink, and sustainability
- Key differences based on political views
- Canadians are nearly equality distributed in their political views
- Graph 22: political parties individuals typically vote for*, 2024
- Graph 23: political views, 2024
- Gen X is more likely to lean conservative
- Graph 24: political views by generation, 2024
- Consumers with liberal (left-of-centre) views are more likely to prioritize the environmental impact of the foods they purchase
- Graph 25: most important considerations when shopping for foods and drinks at grocery store (top 3), by political views, 2024
- Liberal-leaning consumers are more likely to link food production to GHG emissions
- Graph 26: industries consumers think create the most greenhouse gases (top 3), by political views, 2024
- Politics and perception: beliefs shape views on the purchase of food with sustainability claims
- Graph 27: “I intentionally choose food and drink products with sustainability claims over others for…”, by political views, 2024
- Trust is more of a barrier for conservative-leaning consumers
- Graph 28: barriers that prevent consumers from choosing food and drink with sustainability claims more often, by political views, 2024
- Making concerns around climate change more personal builds relevance regardless of political beliefs
- Graph 29: attitudes toward trust and prices as related to food and sustainability, by political views, 2024
- Eco-conscious shifts: navigate concerns around poultry and beef among liberal-leaning consumers
- Graph 30: food and drink-related actions consumers think help the environment the most (top 3), by political views, 2024
- Carbon neutrality is a less compelling value proposition for conservative-leaning and centrist consumers
- Graph 31: sustainability claims that would encourage consumers to choose one food or drink product over another, by political views, 2024
- Other demographic breakdowns and food, drink, and sustainability
- Concern over the carbon footprint of food varies by region
- Graph 32: “Most companies’/industries’ climate change targets are set too far in the future” (any agree), by region, 2024
- Graph 33: carbon footprint as an environmental concern for food and drinks bought in stores, by region, 2024
- Financial security bolsters sustainability’s importance when purchasing food
- Graph 34: attitudes toward food, drinks and sustainability (any agree), by financial situation, 2024
- Optimistic outlooks on climate change foster greater interest in environmental claims
- Graph 35: “I intentionally choose food and drink products with sustainability claims over others for…”, by level of optimism that the worst impacts of climate change can be avoided, 2024
- Graph 36: importance of price and environmental impact when grocery shopping, by level of optimism that the worst impacts of climate change can be avoided, 2024
- Optimism translates to sales for food and drink products verified as sustainable
- Graph 37: more likely to purchase foods and drinks if they are verified as being good for the environment (any agree), by level of optimism that the worst impacts of climate change can be avoided , 2024
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Competitive strategies
- Launch activity and innovation
- Sustainability promotes innovation in food and drink
- Food and sustainability: three areas of innovation
- Harnessing AI for a greener agriculture: less chemicals, healthier soil
- Microsoft promotes AI as a way to help produce more while using less
- Technology enables more targeted pesticide use
- Attack of the drones
- Demonstrate how technology supports nature while enhancing food production
- Controlled environment agriculture plays a role in a sustainable and resilient food future
- Vertical farms are not without their challenges
- Tackling methane emissions from cattle: an important step in combatting climate change
- Innovation can help mitigate methane from livestock
- Companies are advancing with regenerative farming
- Regenerative agriculture can be used for different categories
- Distribution fleets can be electrified
- Link food waste reduction and lower GHG emissions to relatable economic benefits
- Upcycled ingredients represent opportunity
- Upcycled ingredients cuts across a range of categories
- Tackling packaging waste in oceans and rivers
- Mission and innovation enable solutions
- Innovative packaging solutions beyond plastic
- Marketing and advertising
- It ain’t easy being green
- Humour can empower and tackle eco-anxiety
- What’s your excuse?
- Dairy Farmers of Canada prioritizes sustainability
- Dairy farmers communicate their plans to promote sustainability
- Unilever offers sustainability-focused rewards
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The Market
- Market drivers
- Inflation is now at the Bank of Canada’s target rate
- Graph 38: annual change in CPI and retail food prices by month, 2019-24
- Impact of inflation
- Graph 39: issues Canadians report having been affected by over the past two months, 2023-24
- Support for the carbon tax is higher among younger adults and liberal leaning consumers
- Graph 40: “I think Canada’s carbon tax program (also known as Canada Carbon Rebate or Climate Action Incentive) is a good idea” (% agree), by political views, 2024
- Graph 41: “I think Canada’s carbon tax program (also known as Canada Carbon Rebate or Climate Action Incentive) is a good idea” (% agree), by generation, 2024
- Since the start of the century, greenhouse gas emissions in Canada have remained relatively stable
- Graph 42: annual greenhouse gas emissions by economic sector, 1990-2022
- Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions have remained relatively constant as a share of the total
- Graph 43: annual share of greenhouse gas emissions by economic sector, 1992, 2002, 2012, 2022
- Greenhouse gas emissions in different areas of the agricultural sector are trending in different directions
- Graph 44: annual agriculture sector greenhouse gas emissions by use, 1990-2022
- Global average temperatures clearly point to a warming planet
- Graph 45: global land-ocean temperature index, 1973-2003
- ‘Heatflation’ and ‘sogflation’: more frequent extreme weather events elevate concern over price increases
- Few Canadians follow meat-free diets
- Graph 46: diet preferences, 2022
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Appendix
- Consumer research methodology
- Consumer qualitative research
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
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