Rising food prices are forcing grocery shoppers to change habits: ‘It’s been hard’

A new report from Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab found 86 per cent of Canadians surveyed believe food prices are higher than they were six months ago.

With prices rising along with inflation in Canada, some 40 per cent of shoppers are focusing on sales and deals more than before when buying their groceries.

A new report from Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab found 86 per cent of Canadians surveyed believe food prices are higher than they were six months ago. As a result, two in five people said they have changed their behaviour at the market over the past year in order to save money.

“I’m a really good shopper,” said Kim, a 45-year-old Vancouver resident who did not want her full name to be used. “I’m always looking for sales and stuff. But this year, it’s been hard. I’ve had to step my game up.”

Inflation has been felt in Canada and many other countries as the world economy slowly recovers from COVID-19 pandemic. The early months of the pandemic saw prices fall amid lower demand as people stayed home and large sectors of the economy shuttered for months.

Now that stores are opening up again and people are re-entering society, demand has soared as manufacturers and agricultural businesses struggle to keep up.

Overall, Canada’s inflation rate this year grew to 4.1 per cent — the highest since 2003, according to Statistics Canada.

While Statistics Canada estimates the consumer price index for food has risen 2.7 per cent over the past year, the Dalhousie University team says it has found the inflation rate is closer to five per cent.

Both groups agree, however, that meat has seen the sharpest price jump compared to other foods, with Statcan estimating a nearly seven per cent rise compared with August 2020.