HALIFAX — Rising grocery prices will take a bigger bite out of Canadian households in the coming year. Canada’s Food Price Report 2023 predicts the average Canadian family of four will spend just over $16,288 on food in 2023 — an increase of between 5 and 7% — or as much as $1,065 — from 2022.
Vegetables, dairy and meat prices will account for the biggest share of that hike, according to the report, released annually as a joint effort involving researchers at Dalhousie University, and the universities of Guelph, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.
The loonie’s declining purchasing power, market uncertainty arising from the Ukraine war, and labour shortages in the agri-food sector have all combined to drive up Canadian food prices.
“To say that it’s been a challenging year for Canadians at the grocery store would be an understatement,” says Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, project lead and Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie. Charlebois predicts that consumers “will continue to get smarter about grocery shopping as they navigate through this so-called food inflation storm.”
The report authors advise shoppers to consult flyers for specials and create and stick to a budget and shopping list. They also recommend swapping more expensive foods with cheaper alternatives: Frozen fruits and vegetables instead of fresh, and high-protein chickpeas and lentils instead of meat. Buy and freeze meat when it comes on sale, they also advise.
