Many Manitobans resort to grocery theft as food prices out of reach: union president

As inflation pushes grocery prices higher and higher, more people across Manitoba are resorting to theft, says the president of the union representing grocery workers across the province.

Jeff Traeger of UFCW told 680 CJOB’s The Start that his members tell him all demographics are represented among those stealing food — and that customers who aren’t stealing continue to raise concerns about high prices and empty shelves.

“One of the things that really is surprising our members is that they’re seeing people with young children — and seniors — who are not scanning the most expensive items in their cart when they go through those self-checkouts, because they just don’t have the money to pay for it,” Traeger said.

“Our members tell us that a half-hour of their shift doesn’t go by without seeing somebody who is shoplifting, or somebody who is walking out of the store without paying.

“They simply tell me that theft in retail grocery can best be described as being out of control.”

Traeger said in many cases, stores are seeing people with young families or on fixed incomes resorting to theft as the only way to be able to put a nutritious meal on the table.

It’s a problem that may not be resolved any time soon — economists say food price inflation is expected to take longer to subside than overall inflation.

David Macdonald of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says food inflation is heavily tied to global factors like the war in Ukraine and extreme weather, so prices remain high even as rising interest rates have helped reduce the overall rate of inflation.

Grocery prices were up 11 per cent in December in Canada, compared with 6.3 per cent overall inflation for the month.

“In terms of the gasoline and food prices, which are things consumers buy a lot of — they’re not very sensitive to interest rates, interest rates don’t affect them,” Macdonald said.

“Because we don’t buy them with big loans.”

0:34 Winnipeg shoppers react to climbing food costs

— with files from The Canadian Press