It’s no secret that prices at the grocery store seem to keep rising, and according to some, people can expect to spend even more in 2023 to feed their families.
According to Sylvain Charlebois, the director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, they expect food prices to rise five to seven per cent in the first half of 2023.
“For an average family of four, we’re expecting that food bill to increase by about $1,000, which is the largest increase we’ve ever predicted in 13 years,” Charlebois said.
“We’re expecting the bulk of the increase to happen during the first half of 2022. The second half things will likely calm down a little bit.”
Charlebois expects inflation to be felt the most in three specific categories: vegetables, bakery and dairy. And while the rise may be difficult, he says it could be worse.
“Canada’s food inflation rate is actually one of the lowest in the world right now at 10.3 per cent,” Charlebois explained. “Only Japan has a lower food inflation rate and interest rates have actually not moved up in Japan.
“So we’re doing okay in the grand scheme of things, which means really that we’re dealing with a global phenomenon.”
That phenomenon has been felt for months now in Saskatchewan.
A new StatsCan report included the numbers for how much on average different grocery items have costed each month in Saskatchewan throughout 2022.
For example, beef striploin cuts cost $22.41 per kilogram in July 2022. In November, that number jumped up to $26.93 per kilogram.
The rise in price can be seen across many different grocery items including strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce
It is important to note not all products have seen an increase. Some items like cabbage, onions and celery have all remained the same price or even dropped slightly.
A full list of the prices included in the study can be found on the Government of Canada’s website.
For Kathleen Cassidy, the founder of Living on a Loonie, an online platform to help people find good deals, she feels the rise in prices does not mean people can’t still save a lot of money at the grocery store.
“I think Canadians who want to be will continue to be savvy with their money and look for those saving opportunities that are out there,” Cassidy said. “There are still tons of ways to save money in Canada. You just need to be a smart shopper and kind of teach yourself and put a little time and effort behind that.”
She recommends looking at fliers, searching for online coupons and changing where you shop each week to see where the best deals might be and what a fair price is.
“What is on sale this week and how can I then feed my family out of those sale fliers so you can kind of adapt each week based off what’s on sale to kind of make your meal plan,” she said.
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