Canada’s Frugal Fatigue and Why Shoppers Aren’t Switching to Plant-Based

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Turns out broke doesn’t mean broccoli.

A new Dalhousie University study, released via Canada’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, has dropped a spicy truth-bomb that even as inflation squeezes wallets, Canadians are not buying more plant-based proteins. In fact, they’re ditching coupons, skipping the discount bins, and sticking with meat - price be damned.

Researchers are calling it “frugality fatigue”. We call it, "meatloaf over mindfulness".

Source: PFN Ai Archives - Canadian shopper experiencing frugality fatigue

You’d think in a food economy this volatile, the logical choice would be lentils and chickpea cutlets, right? Wrong. After two years of soaring prices, loyalty cards, and meatless Mondays, people are giving up. They're exhausted. No more mental gymnastics over whether soy chunks or chicken thighs are the better value per gram. Dinner just needs to feel normal.

And the interesting thing is it’s not just Canada.You can hear the same weary sigh at Woolies in Melbourne and Pak’nSave in Hamilton. Kiwis and Aussies aren’t just wrestling with price tags - they’re wrestling with decision fatigue. Do I trust this vegan sausage? Do the kids even like it? Will it actually save me money, or am I just buying ideology in shrink-wrap?

As Sylvain Charlebois, director of the study, put it: “We’ve reached a ceiling. Canadians are no longer making significant changes to how they buy food. They’re just trying to survive.”

And price doesn’t help either. According to Statistics Canada, as of February 2025:

• Plant-Based Ground Meat: CAD $16.99/kg

• Conventional Ground Beef: CAD $13.91/kg

That’s a 22% price gap and a major blow to any marketing claims plant-based is the “budget-friendly” choice.

So what happened to plant-based as the affordable alternative? Well, for starters, it never really was. A branded oat milk costs more than cow’s milk in most major supermarkets. And some plant-based meat products have the gall to be priced higher than the very animals they’re trying to replace.

PFN’s verdict? If the plant-based sector still thinks it can ride the inflation wave to mainstream adoption, it’s time for a rethink. Price won’t save you. Pleasure, simplicity, and cultural fit just might. Because right now, your average consumer isn’t hunting for utopia, they’re just trying to get dinner on the table without needing a spreadsheet and breaking the bank.

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