Graphic: Soaring Canadian vegetable prices hit their highest point this century

Canadians paid far more for fresh vegetables in January than they have so far this century, numbers released by Statistics Canada today show.

Seasonal price increases for vegetables are normal – and unavoidable – in winter in Canada, but January’s spike is far out of proportion to those in years past. Much of the price increase is due to the falling Canadian dollar, Global’s Jamie Sturgeon reported today. (Grocers must buy food imported from the United States and Latin America in U.S. dollars.)

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READ MORE: Food prices surge as vegetable costs spike 18.2%: Statscan

While price increases for cauliflower attracted attention in recent months, celery prices are also spiking, Sturgeon reported.

The consumer price index data below is based on a scale in which 2002’s data is represented as a value of 100.

Fresh vegetable prices in Canada, 2000-16

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