Release of the Nutritious and Affordable Food Basket
Montréal (Québec), October 15, 2025 – Alima, Perinatal Social Nutrition Centre, is today releasing its annual report on the Nutritious and Affordable Food Basket (NAFB), a tool used to estimate the cost of a basic balanced grocery basket that meets the nutritional needs of the population. According to the July 2025 data, prices have remained mostly stable, although many households still struggle to afford food.
According to the NAFB, a typical family of four needs to budget $290 per week, or more than $15,000 per year, on a basic balanced grocery basket. For a person earning minimum wage and living alone, the NAFB now represents 20% of their net income, compared to 17% in 2021. The full report can be downloaded by visiting www.centrealima.ca (available in French only).
“Even with prices holding steady since last year, food is still unaffordable for many families. The increases in recent years, combined with housing costs, are putting even more strain on vulnerable households,” says Julie Paquette, Executive Director of Alima.
Certain food categories have seen sharp increases over the past year, notably frozen and canned fish (+12%), commercial infant formula (+11%), and frozen and canned vegetables (+9%). The price of meat has also gone up (+6%), although less significantly. For families who rely on infant formula, the expense can represent an additional $129 per month compared to breastfeeding.
These increases weigh heavily on the day-to-day lives of families supported by Alima. For example, a family seeking asylum spends 44% of their income on the NAFB—almost double the critical 25% threshold for food budgets.
“In 17 years working with pregnant women in vulnerable situations, I’ve never seen so many Alima families relying on food banks,” says Suzanne Lepage, a registered dietitian at Alima.
Given these findings, Alima stresses the urgent need for public policy to focus on increasing the availability and affordability of nutritious food.
For more information, visit www.centrealima.ca and join our Facebook and LinkedIn communities (@centrealima).
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About the NAFB – Alima, Perinatal Social Nutrition Centre
Alima has been dedicated to food security since 1879. For 75 years, the organization has offered the Nutritious and Affordable Food Basket (NAFB), a tool used to estimate the cost of a basic grocery list that meets the nutritional needs of different population groups, adjusted for age, sex, and physiological conditions (e.g., pregnancy and breastfeeding).
Alima thanks its partners for supporting this mission, including the Direction régionale de santé publique of the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, and Centraide of Greater Montreal.