This Thanksgiving Canadians are paying more for the food on their table.
While some families aren’t willing to compromise on the classics, others don’t have a choice.
At Supermarché PA, Axelle Karam and her mother are deciding what ingredients make the final cut for Thanksgiving dinner.
“I want to do ‘friendsgiving’ dinner, but everything’s a lot of money, even little things, so it kind of sucks,” Karam told Global News.
Classics costing more at the cash made Karam adjust her menu.
“I bought these potatoes, instead of small round ones, and I really wanted round ones,” she said.
She’s not the only Sunday shopper feeling the pain of sticker shock.
Sylvain Charlebois, a Canadian researcher and professor in food distribution and food policy at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Agri-Food Analytics Lab Director says prices have significantly gone up.
“Turkey prices have gone up about 15, 16 per cent compared to last year. Potatoes are up 22 per cent,” Charlebois pointed out.
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Charlebois says increasing prices affect lower income households the most.
Sam Watts, the CEO of Welcome Hall Mission, a non-profit organization supporting people experiencing homelessness agrees.
“For people who are living close to the poverty line, inflation has a disproportionate impact on the affordability for them of basics,” Watts explained.
Watts says each week, 4,000 clients use the organizations’ free grocery stores. It’s an increase of 1,000 people over the last five months.
On Monday, the Montreal Alouettes will serve Thanksgiving dinner at Welcome Hall.
“It’s important for people who are struggling and people who are out there looking to try and find their way back into housing to have a really positive experience around a holiday like this,” Watts said.
Meanwhile, Charlebois says a number of factors are contributing to rising grocery bills, such as energy costs affecting the entire food economy and the avian flu impacting the turkey supply.
“The avian flu impacted our flock nationally since March, April. And that’s so we’re feeling the impact of the avian flu right now at Thanksgiving,” Charlebois said.
Experts recommend to those sticking to a budget to buy products on special and leave meat on the shelves.
“Clients what I see them leaning more for is specials, flyer specials, and then more fruits and vegetables because they’re at a lower cost,” said Stephanie Medeiros, store manager at Supermarché PA du Parc.
Supermarché PA’s clients’ habits might stick around because prices aren’t expected to lower before the winter holidays.
“We’re not expecting prices to drop before Christmas, unfortunately,” Charlebois said.