In March 2026, there were 2.35 million visits to food banks in Canada, the highest number on record.

Food bank visits surpassed last year’s record-breaking level, reflecting the growing number of people in Canada experiencing financial hardship and record-high rates of food insecurity.

Food bank usage has more than doubled since March 2019 and is nearly 9% higher than it was in 2025.

The scale of growth over the past seven years is unprecedented in Canada’s food bank network. Food bank use has risen by almost 117% since 2019, including a nearly 9% increase in the past year alone. This places growing pressure on food banks’ ability to provide adequate support as demand continues to outpace available resources.

One-third of food bank clients are children.

The proportion of children under 18 accessing food banks continues to hold at nearly one-third of food bank clients. However, given the growth of food bank usage since the pre-pandemic period, that third now represents nearly 776,000 visits — an increase of more than 400,000 monthly visits compared to seven years ago. In addition, there has been a significant increase in the proportion of two-parent households with children under 18 accessing food banks — from 18.8% in 2019 to 20% in 2026.

Nearly 18% of food bank clients report employment as their main source of income, compared to 12% in 2019.

The proportion of food bank clients whose main source of income is employment continues to grow. This group now makes up 17.9% of food bank clients. Until 2022, when the impacts of rapid inflation took effect, they generally made up between 10% and 12% of all clients. This year, the cumulative impact of inflation has further eroded the purchasing power of people who are employed, even among those whose incomes are above the official poverty line.

Rent eats food budgets for households with the lowest incomes.

Housing costs devour most of the disposable income of low-income households. People with the lowest incomes, which includes people receiving provincial social assistance, spend on average nearly 60% of their disposable income on housing. In 2021, that figure was 49%. As non-negotiable housing costs take up a growing proportion of disposable income and savings decline, lower-income households face an increased risk of food insecurity and reliance on food banks.

Nearly 72% of food bank clients live in market rental housing.

Market renters make up 71.8% of all food bank clients, underscoring the growing link between housing affordability and food insecurity. Compared to other food bank clients, renters are more likely to be newcomers, members of racialized communities, employed, and couples with children. As rents continue to consume a larger share of household budgets, more renters are being forced to turn to food banks to make ends meet.

Grossly inadequate provincial social assistance remains the most common source of income for food bank clients. 

Provincial social assistance, which includes both the general welfare and provincial disability support income streams, is the primary source of income for nearly 41% of food bank clients. As a consequence of both the extremely low-income levels and the punitive design of social assistance programs, food bank clients receiving provincial social assistance experience very high levels of food insecurity. As a result, they require help from food banks more frequently and for longer periods of time.