WINNIPEG – Meat prices at grocery stores in Manitoba are on the rise.
According to Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index, meat prices at Canadian grocery stores were up again in October by 12.4 per cent.
“I’ve seen pork prices go up from last September roughly 20 cents per pound, beef prices maybe 50 cents per pound,” said Gilbert Kohlman, Cantor’s meat manager.
From 2010 to 2013 the prices of stewing beef, bacon, prime rib, steak, pork chops, and chicken all stayed relatively the same, but after 2013 the prices soared except for chicken.
That’s because beef and pork have been in low supply this year.
“Demand is going up a little bit at a time that supply is going down and that’s driving these prices upwards a little bit,” said Michael Benarroch, Dean at Asper School of Business.
But that isn’t stopping customers from buying red meat, especially for the upcoming holiday season.
“I could have 1,000 people come through here tomorrow on one Saturday,” said Kohlman.
The price hike is also being felt beyond the meat counter.
“It’s not just the meat that’s getting expensive, groceries are getting more too so I think for an ordinary household it’s getting stressful,” said Zazuliak.
Forecasters predict the price of red meat to keep climbing into the middle of 2015 when it’s expected to level off as the supply of meat increases.
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