Food inflation rate reaches 40-year high, forcing Maritimers to modify buying habits
The price of food purchases from Canadian stores was up 9.7 per cent in April compared to last year, making it the largest increase since September 1981.
Some Nova Scotians say it's easy to see the negative impacts inflation is having on their bank account.
“I got four bags (of groceries) and it cost me $90 and I didn’t buy any meat at all,” said Halifax resident Jocelyne Doucette.
Despite the increase in food costs, there appears to be no relief from the inflation and it’s hurting the customers - especially those already struggling to make ends meet.
Doucette says she's had to adjust her spending habits and diet, like cutting out buying red meat altogether.
“I always ate red meat,” she said. “A nice big steak.”
Compared to a year ago, Statistics Canada says the cost of fresh fruit was up 10 per cent, fresh vegetables gained 8.2 per cent and meat rose 10.1 per cent. The cost of bread rose 12.2 per cent, while pasta gained 19.6 per cent and rice added 7.4 per cent.
“It means your disposable income is going to shrink because more of it is now going towards food,” said Janet Music, a Dalhousie University food industry researcher.
Music says supply issues and labour shortages are driving up the cost of food. She also points to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a factor.
The skyrocketing price of oil and gas has directly impacted food inflation as well.
Music suggests an answer to that might be to shorten the supply chain and manufacture more food here at home.
“We do get a lot of our food from global trading partners,” said Music. “And manufacturing in Atlantic Canada has gone down significantly.”
Music says there is a role government can play in all of this, but adds there’s no short-term solution to inflation.
She says it could be quicker for the major food suppliers to step up and help ease some of the impacts by offering more food discounts inside the store and bringing forward more food coupon programs to offer more savings back to customers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.