Spiking price of groceries increasing the risk of food insecurity in Canada

For many families, it’s a tug-of-war between healthy eating and household finances.

The spiking cost of groceries is taking a bigger bite out of household budgets and the fear is that, if food prices keep increasing, more Canadians will be at risk of going hungry.

Food inflation rose 9.7 per cent last month compared to April 2021. Statistics Canada says it the biggest jump in the price of groceries since September 1981.

That is hard to swallow for many Canadians, according to some food science experts.

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Nutritional science professor Valerie Terasuk at the University of Toronto warns continued inflation will likely lead to an increase in the prevalence and severity of food insecurity in Canada.

Sylvain Charlebois with the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University agrees, pointing out many families are already having to make cheaper, sometimes less nutritious choices.

“Of course! People are trading down right now, and that is why we are expecting more private labels to enter the marketplace. Grocers are working on their private label strategies and we are seeing more conversions of grocery stories into discount stores,” he tells CityNews. “Discounting is going to be the big thing this year, for sure, as a result of what we are seeing.”

But Charlebois says there are still pockets of hope in grocery store aisles.

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“The meat counter is actually kinder to a consumer on a tight budget these days. Chicken and pork are actually cheaper than they were in December. People may not notice, but those two components of the meat trifecta are actually cheaper, while beef is still an enigma. Beef, on average, depending on the cuts your looking at, is over 30 per cent more than three months ago.”

He adds that dry goods — things like peanut butter, pasta, mayonnaise — are mostly rising in price, along with fresh fruits and vegetables.

“Produce prices are increasing, on average, over 10 per cent since December — carrots, onions, broccoli and other products like salads, iceberg lettuce, romaine are all in double-digit territory right now.”

But Charlebois says savvy shoppers can still find deals in the produce section.

“With produce, it’s hit and miss. While some products are more expensive, some are actually cheaper than they were in December. Cucumbers and tomatoes are, on average, cheaper than they were in December. If you’re careful out there, you can actually still find some good deals.”

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