New data from Statistics Canada reveals that food prices increased by 3.5 percent year-over-year in April 2026, but many common grocery items saw far steeper rises. Beef striploin cuts experienced the largest jump, soaring 29.29 percent to an average of $42.42 per kilogram, up $9.61 from last year.
Beef leads meat price increases
Beef top sirloin cuts rose by $2.74 to $28.94 per kilogram, while beef rib cuts climbed $2.35 to $30.56 per kilogram. Stewing cuts increased by $1.86 to $22.51 per kilogram, and ground beef reached $15.59 per kilogram, up $1.42. Other proteins also saw gains: salmon (+$1.24), canned salmon (+$0.73), chicken breasts (+$0.88), chicken drumsticks (+$0.59), whole chicken (+$0.32), and bacon (+$0.31).
Coffee and produce price spikes
Beyond meat, coffee prices rose sharply. A 340-gram bag of roasted or ground coffee now costs $9.39, compared to $7.78 in April 2025—an increase of about 21 percent. Bananas jumped roughly 12 percent from $1.66 to $1.87 per kilogram, and tomatoes surged by $1.49 from $4.69 to $6.18 per kilogram.
Some items buck the trend
Not all groceries became more expensive. Eggs fell from $4.92 to $4.80 per dozen, onions declined from $5.64 to $5.54 per kilogram, and chicken thighs edged down by one cent to $12.16 per kilogram.
Broader economic context
Overall inflation rose to 2.8 percent in April, up from 2.4 percent in March. RBC attributed this to higher gasoline prices and fading energy base effects. The food price data arrives shortly after Statistics Canada reported that the country entered a technical recession, with GDP contracting 0.1 percent in the first quarter of 2026 following a 1 percent decline in the fourth quarter of 2025. BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic described the economic dip as minor, but Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre blamed Liberal policies for Canada being the only G7 economy to shrink.
