Have you taken out a loan on a pound of ground beef lately? Maybe amortized your latest pot of chili over the next 25 years?
It’s no surprise that a recent analysis of the biggest grocery price hikes found beef at the top. Statistics Canada reports the largest increase was in striploin cuts: a $9.61 jump per kilogram from last year and now $42.42 per kilo. This household is making fewer meatless meals and we have for some time now. And by we, I mean me, because I’m the primary grocery shopper and the cook.
The other heftiest price hikes according to Stats-Can were for coffee, fresh produce, infant formula, and salmon. CTV reports that 900g of infant formula is almost $50. I’d happily pay even more for apples and broccoli if it would bring down the price of feeding babies but it doesn’t work that way.
So, What’s Up With That?
Scarcity is behind the beef and coffee price increases. The cattle issue is complicated and related to the pandemic’s aftermath. Poor coffee harvests are being blamed on weather and supply chain issues.
But what about everything else?!
Well, a head of locally grown cauliflower tends to be university educated and we all know that tuition isn’t cheap. Bell peppers are individually hand-fed as they grow. Pepper nannies are expensive. Carrots only thrive in soil enhanced with 24k gold dust and don’t get me started on the fussiness of an eggplant.
I have it on good authority that this year’s cherry crop in southwestern Ontario was completely ruined by frost. Expect cherries to cost many more red cents this season.
It doesn’t help matters when we learn that Loblaws Inc. made almost $600-million (net) in the first quarter of this year. That’s up $91-million from the year before. Everybody’s in business to make money but I’m going to hold back from ranting about the company’s billionaire owners. How unlike me! Galen Weston Jr. is worth about $20-billion. Oops, I didn’t stop after all.
Meanwhile, Loblaws has brought back its own store-brand frozen orange juice concentrate. Minute Maid, the last manufacturer of frozen juice in Canada, folded that division a few months ago. A company spokesperson tells CBC that their product isn’t being made in Canada. However, they won’t say where it’s coming from.
Groceries Aren’t Optional
Millions of Canadians received the GST credit last week. It’ll be replaced by the Enhanced Groceries and Essentials Benefit for households that qualify. We are not among those households. And no matter how much or how often, it will never be enough for far too many people.
Despite what a cohort of skinny influencers tries to tell everyone, we do have to eat. I’m learning 101 ways to make things out of chickpeas, mostly because we both like them and for far too long I’ve overlooked that they’re a cheap and great source of protein.
I could almost be a vegan. I’d be a cheating vegan. A cheagan. Eating more meatless meals is better for the planet, that’s just fact. That might be a positive offshoot of these ridiculous prices if fruit and veggie prices don’t rise too high. Locally grown produce is here for the season and it’s almost always a better price. Just keep an eye on those high falutin cauliflower heads. They think they know better than you do.
You’re right. Some price changes can be explained, others cannot. We are dealing with shrinkflation and enshittification as well. I am pretty sure the grocery brand chip bags did not have to shrink and double in price, for one! I haven’t had been in ages, I miss meatloaf! I try to stick to cucumbers and mushrooms for my veggies, but getting them on sale can be tricky. Sigh! I am single too, so I cannot imagine how single parents / families are doing it.