Canada’s food prices cost even more in 2022 than already high and unaffordable predictions.
The 2022 prediction for food price increases was 5% to 7%. However, 2022 actually saw food prices increase by over 10%. And now, 2023 is anticipated to have another food price increase of 5% to 7%.
Canada’s Food Price Report anticipates that families will need to spend an additional $1,065 on food next year. The average Canadian family of four is estimated to have spent $15,200 on groceries in 2022.
The report is created by cooperative research between Dalhousie University, the University of Guelph, the University of Saskatchewan and the University of British Columbia.
The news comes as a number of provinces have taken measures to help resident through the cost of living crisis.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe recently delivered around 450,000 rebate checks of $500 to residents as a part of his government’s affordability program. After taking office on Nov. 18, BC Premier David Eby also announced new cost-of-living assistance. And Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has promised checks of $600 for each child under 18 and each senior every six months.
According to The Toronto Star, food prices have risen faster than in 1981. Meanwhile, the Toronto Dominion Bank stated, “Consumer prices continue to rise at rates not seen in decades.”
Emily Brown, the Conservative Party candidate for Burlington, said the Trudeau Liberal government, in partnership with the NDP, still plans to increase the carbon tax, harming families already affected by the rising cost of living.
According to the Daily Hive, a record number of Canadians are using food banks.
The Hunger Count, a non-profit organization, reports that nearly 1.5 million Canadians visited the food bank in 2022, at least 485 thousand of which were children.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claims that the “global pandemic to the war in Ukraine” has caused “significant disruptions of supply chains around the world.”
