Shoppers will see some food prices rise because of tariffs, but not all at once

A shopper reaches for groceries at a grocery store in Toronto, Thursday, May 30, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Now that Canada and the U.S. are in a trade war, consumers can expect some prices to rise at the grocery store — but not on all products, and not all at once.

Gary Sands of the Federation of Independent Grocers says stores are already getting price increase requests from some of their suppliers.

After U.S. President Donald Trump enacted sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods Tuesday, Canada responded with tariffs of its own on a broad range of U.S. imports.

These include food products like orange juice, peanut butter, alcohol and coffee.

University of Guelph food economy professor Mike Von Massow says once Canada’s second round of retaliatory tariffs comes into play later this month, the effects will likely be more pronounced at the grocery store.

The Canadian government says the second round would include fruits and vegetables, beef, pork and dairy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2025.

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Rosa Saba, The Canadian Press