This Food Banks Canada (FBC) report shows that food insecurity in Canada is growing, and becoming increasingly routine. The report draws on data from more than 5,500 food banks and community organizations across the country, as well as multiple surveys conducted on behalf of FBC by Pollara Strategic Insights.
Key findings include:
- Monthly visits to Canada’s food banks have doubled since 2019 – hitting close to 2.2 million visits in March 2025 alone.
- Nearly 1 in 5 food bank clients (19.4%) are employed but still can’t make ends meet, compared to just over 1 in 10 (12.2%) in 2019.
- One-third (33%) of food bank clients are children – representing nearly 712,000 monthly
visits in 2025, up by over 300,000 monthly visits compared to 2019. - Nearly 1 in 4 households (23.1%) that rely on food banks are two-parent families,
compared to 18.8% in 2019. - 70% of food bank clients live in market rent housing.
- 3% of food bank clients in Canada are seniors – up from 6.8% in 2019.
FBC states, “It’s clear that volunteer efforts and donations, while vital, are no longer enough. Food Banks Canada is calling for bold legislative action reverse current trends in order tosupport low-income workers, food-insecure children, affordable housing, and adequate social benefits.”
Publication Date: October 28, 2025
Published by: Food Banks Canada
Click here to access Hunger Count 2025
Click here to access Food Banks Canada’s 2025 Poverty Report Card
Click here to access Food Banks Canada Mapping Vulnerability to Poverty
