Easter is just around the bend, with a few questions on people’s plates — one being: “What will we eat?”
Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, said while prices are increasing, there are some foods that are easier on the wallet than others.
Pork products are one of them.
“It’s about 10 per cent cheaper than last year, generally speaking. I mean, 10 per cent is a lot considering inflation,” Charlebois said.
The food economist said plant-based meals could also be the way to go.
“When you look at tofu, dry beans, lentils, hummus, all of these products have gone up as well. But, per gram, it’s still cheaper for sure. So, you will save some money if you go if you go vegan or vegetarian for Easter,” he said.
On the flip side, Charlebois said potatoes, bread, beef, sugar and chocolate are all up.
“Chocolate is, obviously, going through a record-breaking year. I mean, we’ve never seen the price of cocoa being this high,” he said.
In an effort to mitigate the rising costs, he said some companies are decreasing the size of their product, and others are replacing some ingredients with cheaper ones.
“If you are out there buying chocolate, you may want to think about mom for Mother’s Day at the same time, because we are expecting prices to continue to rise for a while,” he said.
At Siloam Mission, food prices are impacting the charity’s 2024 Easter campaign, in which 700 people are expected to be served a celebratory meal.
“Siloam serves, in a normal day, people that are experiencing homelessness, people that are experiencing food insecurity, people that might be housed but are struggling with opportunities for connection,” said Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud, CEO of the organization.
“On these more special meals, we see the same folks that are, again, looking for ways to improve their circumstances or are looking for an opportunity to celebrate an Easter message with their family, with their community.”
Usually, Whitecloud said 85 per cent of the food Siloam serves at Easter is bought with donations.
But that number has been shrinking with inflation.
“We’re purchasing more food, but also the dollars don’t go as far as they once did. When you’re talking about a meal for 700, that can get very cost-prohibitive,” Whitecloud said, adding that the organization has needed to expand its budget.
The team and volunteers have been preparing for some time, though, and don’t expect to need to turn anyone away.
“We have enough prepared for everybody that might come through,” Whitecloud said.
“People are directly contributing to the Easter Campaign to make that meal possible for folks.”
Donations can be made at siloam.ca/easter.
“Hope starts with a meal. That’s that connection point for them to move forward,” Whitecloud said.