It’s not just you. Groceries is it so more expensive than usual.
Meat costs more than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Imported fruits and vegetables are rising in price due to obstacles in the supply chain. The cost of dairy products has skyrocketed.
Across Canada, food inflation leaves consumers shocked when they hit the cash registers.
Why the higher prices? A combination of strong demand, supply chain problems, worker shortages and lousy weather, experts say.
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem has warned that inflation, which grew to 4.4 percent in September and could hit 5 percent by the end of the year, will last longer than expected.
The cost of chicken increased 10.3 percent in September, while beef increased 13 percent, according to Statistics Canada. The price of bacon, which rose 20 percent, posted the largest year-on-year increase since January 2015. And dairy products, including butter and cheese, rose 5.1 percent.
Sylvain Charlebois, a Dalhousie University professor who researches food distribution and policy, says Statistics Canada underestimates its food inflation figures. From an independent study he helped conduct through the Dalhousie Agri-Food Analysis Laboratory, experts found that butter prices actually increased 35 percent year-over-year, beef increased more than 50 percent. and peanut butter, which has remained roughly the same level. price for two decades, has now risen three percent.
Last week, The Star reported that imported products are taking an additional one to two weeks to reach Ontario due to delays at US shipping ports and a shortage of truck drivers to deliver products through from the Canadian border.
As those delays drag into the winter months, when Canadian supermarkets increasingly rely on products from countries with warmer climates, Ontario wholesalers have warned that consumers could see product costs rise, which were cheaper than usual during the summer.
Simon Somogyi, a University of Guelph professor who researches food policy and consumer behavior, says shoppers can avoid high food prices by increasing the volume of meat and seafood or by turning to alternative products.
Large stores like Walmart and Costco are likely to “have cheaper options” than grocery stores like Loblaws, Metro or Sobeys, he says. Buying family-size packages and storing them in a freezer can save you the cost of multiple trips to the store.
“We are also seeing a lot of interest in alternative proteins,” Somogyi said. Chickpeas, lentils, and barley can offer a reliable source of protein at a fraction of the cost of meats. You’ve even noticed a growing interest in plant-based eggs, which extract protein from legumes (peas and mung beans) and resemble scrambled eggs.
“They actually taste pretty much like the real thing tastes like,” he said.
Ambitious shoppers can avoid grocery aisles altogether. Startups like Remarkable Rejects, a GTA-based business, offer discounted veggies that grocery stores won’t accept due to their shape or size. The product is perfectly good and is purchased directly from Ontario farmers.
It also helps set budgets and plan meals in advance, experts say. Don’t buy what you don’t need and don’t sweep the supermarket aisles on an empty stomach.
Food researchers have found that more Canadians are reviewing weekly flyers, using coupons, shopping for supermarket brands, and looking for foods that have been reduced in price because they are close to the expiration date.
These are some of the many ways to cut costs, Charlebois said.
“The biggest surprise to me is that 40 percent of Canadians are looking for discounted food products. More and more Canadians are looking for these ‘Enjoy Tonight’ discounts, “he recently told The Canadian Press.
“Every section of the grocery store is affected by inflation; there is not a single section that has not been affected. Normally, you would talk about cauliflower, beef, or tomatoes. This year they are different products in all areas “.
Reference-www.thestar.com