Are our governments siding with big grocers?

In today’s Big Story podcast, there are thousands of grocery store workers are on strike right now because, they say, they can’t afford to buy food at the chain they work for. Food bank use has skyrocketed. Shoplifting has increased so rapidly that stores are using it as a reason to try to check customers’ bags and receipts. Food inflation still hovers near double digits, even as general inflation has cooled. And the heads of Canada’s huge grocery chains have testified that billions in profits don’t come from hikes to food prices.

Amid all this, the federal government has given some Canadians a one-time grocery rebate and … so far, that’s it, across all levels of government.

Corey Mintz is a food reporter and author of The Next Supper: The End of Restaurants as We Knew Them, and What Comes After. He said that although food inflation in Canada isn’t as high as other countries, it doesn’t mean the government shouldn’t step in and do more.

“A one-time payment that covers probably about two weeks of groceries for anyone with kids seems more like a PR solution rather than the federal government actually trying to do something about the affordability of groceries,” said Mintz.

So what’s the hold up? Why isn’t the government doing more?

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You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.