SURREY, B.C. - There is a small measure of relief for Surrey grocery shoppers in the latest national price data. The cost of food purchased from stores rose 1.7 per cent in September compared with a year earlier, the smallest yearly increase since May 2024.
Statistics Canada released the figures on October 19 in its Consumer Price Index report for September 2026. Grocery price growth slowed from 2.8 per cent in August, and September was the second consecutive month in which grocery prices rose at a slower pace than overall inflation.
Some items in the cart actually got cheaper. Prices for fresh vegetables fell 2.9 per cent year over year, while prices for sugar and confectionery dropped 2.7 per cent.
Beef remains the big exception at the meat counter. Prices for fresh or frozen beef were up 8.7 per cent compared with September 2025. Even so, that was a slower climb than the 11.0 per cent increase recorded in August. Prices for other food preparations rose 1.8 per cent, also a slower pace than the month before.
The agency cautions that slower growth is not the same thing as lower prices. Despite the recent easing, grocery prices have increased 33.0 per cent since September 2020. That six-year climb is still what Surrey families feel at the till, and it continues to shape how people shop, from chasing weekly specials and choosing store brands to stocking up when staples go on sale.
Overall inflation, meanwhile, moved in the opposite direction. The all-items Consumer Price Index rose 3.1 per cent year over year in September, up from 3.0 per cent in August, pushed higher mainly by energy costs. Gasoline prices jumped 27.8 per cent compared with a year earlier, and consumer prices overall edged up 0.1 per cent from August to September.
For Surrey households, the practical picture is a split grocery bill. Produce and sweets are easing, beef is still expensive, and the total at the checkout remains far higher than it was before the pandemic era price surge.
The September report is the last inflation reading before the Bank of Canada’s next rate decision later this month, and it lands as local food banks report record demand heading into the holiday season.
Statistics Canada will publish its October price figures in November, which will show whether the slower grocery trend held through the busy fall shopping season.
Source: Statistics Canada
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