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Can someone seriously explain why stores are jaking up their food prices ? I dont see how its transport costs when food was cheaper a couple of months ago during the peak of covid. Maybe I'm missing something? I obviously can't mention the store particularily that I've really seen price increases almost weekly. Even a staff member said to me that if you one week want to budget for a certain amount the next week it will cost you more. It's getting so expensive to buy basic food let alone other things you need. Yes there are some sales but you can't always get to them. Why are stores allowed to do this when they know people don't have alot of money?

I am sure it is costing the stores more for the food as well. Some crops aren’t getting harvested because they cannot get workers. There have been lots of crop failures this year, or poorer crops because of the weather. Canned goods are getting harder to bring in because they cannot get the material to make the cans. The grocery stores are not having it any better than you are. I am sure it is going to get a bit more expensive before next summer. I haven’t seen Heinz vinegar for awhile now. Some factories are behind because of employees being off with Covid.

What specific foods are your finding more expensive? I've heard that complaint from a few people, but honestly I haven't really noticed it. The things I routinely buy seem to have stayed stable, or at least where I'm sourcing them from has stayed stable.  
 
But I could see why some prices might increase based on Milky Whey's post. I have noticed that some things are in high demand and therefore in short supply - vinegar was mentioned and that's one of them, but it's often in short supply this time of year with all the canning going on. Salt and sugar are sometimes in short supply this time of year too for the same reason. With more people canning this year too (from what I can tell, anyway), it stands to reason that demand might be more than usual.

Supply and demand. Extra costs to adopt covid protocols, measures and cleaning borne by stores, processors , staffing issues . The list is endless. Ultimately these businesses cannot absorb all of these extra costs so they are therefore passed on to the consumer. Unfortunate but necessary.

I've seen vinegar at Dollarama last month? I have also seen mayo there but sometimes they are hit/miss with products. The replies do make sense and I get what you are saying and appreciate the input so I can understand this better.... I thought Canada brings in temp immigrant workers to harvest fields? Still think people are being overcharged ...espc meat for example. I'm starting to think I should go vegetarian lol That would be a challenge lol I can't give specific items off the top of my head (other than meat in general that stands out) as I just notice the price hikes on products when I'm shopping. Also please watch the prices on the screens as some items show higher price and not the sale price.  
 
Edited by cheeseburgermonster, 2020-08-27 23:49:06

Due to covid restrictions on travel and social distancing there have been some difficulties with sourcing temporary foreign workers. The meat industry to some extent has been affected by packing plant closures due to covid outbreaks which has affected supply chains and caused backlogs. Expect retail prices to continue to rise and expect a sharp increase in inflation. Life is about to get a lot more expensive and difficult for the foreseeable future. On the other hand this may cause a large correction in the economy which has been due for several years now. Many of us have been living beyond our means for a couple of generations now and it’s not sustainable.

The price of food continues to skyrocket on a weekly basis. For example a case 0f Campbells regular soup (cream of mushroom, vegetable, tomato) is $11.99 case (I bought the same last fall for $6.99 case) Kraft Dinner this week is $14.99 case, cream corn or canned kernel corn is $1.89 tin - before covid in Feb. I paid .99 per can(regular price) Your prices in the city are a bit cheaper then our prices at our small town country stores.

the price of beef is insane! what used to be 25/30 per kg is now 45/50 regular prices. the price of a flat of campbells soup always fluctuates. it always goes to a manageable 5.99-7.99 per flat when schools about to start otherwise its 9.99 and up which is ridiculous but allowable. the latter of august always has a deal for kd as well. you definitely need to shop wisely and use reebee or the flyers to compare.

When people talk about the high prices of groceries, there are a couple of things.  
When you buy KD, you are wasting money. Why not buy a big box of macaroni. If you want the cheese powder, Bulk Barn sells it. Add some milk and you have a cheese sauce.  
Also with soup, why not make your own, it is cheaper.  
So, when you want to buy convenience, it is going to be more money.

Great now I want mac and cheese!  
 
That sounds yummy. Throw some bread crumbs on it and throw it in the oven too.

The prices you're quoting for soup is the sale price, and it has been that for a couple of years. Depending on the store, a flat ranges from $10-$12 regular price, but goes on sale for $6.99 at most places on a semi-regular basis (sometimes the sale is only $8.99, but will go to $6.99 eventually). I think I saw it for $6.99 at Co-op flyer this week.  
 
KD is usually around that price (again, it's been fairly stable for a couple of years), but will go as low as $7.99/case, usually at Sobey's but only once a 3-month cycle. The no name brand (which we prefer) at Superstore is always $6.99 a case, and I believe that's what it was when I bought it 2 weeks ago.

It’s been brutal here. I went to BC and groceries were cheaper, I was shocked. Family members thought i was being dramatic. When they came back with me they also couldn’t believe how much more expensive stuff was here.

Beef has been very expensive in the store for a long time already! It's considerably cheaper if you can swing buying in bulk (either a quarter or a side). I have a a front quarter of beef on order at Tendercut again and a 1/2 a pig, and it's ~$3 a lb (a bit more, but I don't recall precisely) for the beef and $2.50/lb for the pork, both of which have been very stable price-wise, at least 3-4 years. It has the bonus of being way tastier and better cut than anything you'll buy in the store, and it's supporting local. A hind quarter beef (which has more steaks and tender bits, the front is more ground beef and pot roasts etc, plus rib eyes which we love) is a bit more, and a 1/2 is somewhere between the 2 prices.  
 
The caveat being is that you have to wait. In the past, if I ordered meat I could get it in 2-3 weeks at the most, but beef is still 8 weeks and it has been since early in the pandemic. So you need to plan ahead.

Doesn't it actually end up costing more per pound at Tendercuts as you are paying for waste? At least that is my experience when I used to purchase a quarter or half.

I would assume this to be a combination of COVID related restrictions (which I assume also creates a choke point at the border), and the fact that all of Canada is so spread out and depopulated and thus not as cheap to keep replenished.  
 
Compared to the costs of air freighting groceries to stores up north, I really don't think we have it all that bad.  
 
Prices are always going to rise (such is the rule of inflation). Thus, it's not something I don't pay a whole lot of attention to. Not unlike gas prices.  
 
Edited by Simonwalcal, 2020-08-28 12:20:31

Yeah, you're paying hanging weight vs. final weight, but even with that when I figured it out I was breaking even on the ground beef, and anything else I'm getting I'm saving 30-50% off retail regular prices. Plus, the quality is superior and is trimmed much better, so there's less waste on my plate, so to speak.

and done that and it was a lot of wasted money for us with paying essentially for unedible parts. i watch the flyers and shop wisely to save the best way. We also make most of our food to save paying for tasteless processed foods, soup is a big one for us and homemade pizza. i feel for the ones that dont or cant. good fresh food is harshly priced so a lot of people live on pastas, rice and crap foods sadly.

in the past food has cost a far higher percentage of a households total income , essentially over the past decades this percentage has dropped dramatically, effectively food has become cheaper and incomes have risen. Also many consumers have changed their buying habits to purchasing more highly processed, salt and sugar laden prepackaged convenience type foods which are more expensive and less healthy causing health problems and widespread obesity. People now buy less fresh basic ingredients and many don’t prepare meals from basic ingredients. Despite these facts many people complain that food costs too much while primary producers tend to receive a diminished price for their produce. How do you propose to rectify this? I think that this needs to start in schools with a greater emphasis placed on teaching home economics, making healthy wholesome choices and food preparation.

And maybe that's why I'm not noticing the increasing costs as much? While we do eat some ultra processed food, it makes up a relatively small portion of our diet.  
 
It's surprising how little of our food dollars actually make it back to the producers. I remember reading years ago in a newspaper that if wheat prices doubled, the cost of an average loaf of bread (one of the most commonly consumed ultra processed foods) would only rise about 10 cents. That's how little of the cost of bread actually went to the farmer.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree re: meat. We're very price-conscious and I always crunch numbers. At the end of the day, it's definately cheaper in the big picture for us to buy meat by the side (and whole chickens directly from the farm, etc) even with waste. But maybe that has to do with our consumption patterns as a family, and the types of cuts we enjoy.  
 
Home made pizza is so good. And soup is a fantanstic budget-stretcher!

I try not to look at meat counters if there's not a sale but one time while shopping i looked at a beef roast. Price? 63 bucks! Now honestly, who would/can afford to pay 63 bucks for a roast?

What do you propose to do about it.

Why are you even asking this question?

I just heard through a reliable source, that anything related to fresh or frozen chicken products will have their prices shoot up, starting in September. From what I understand that happened this summer, producers had reduced their numbers in raising chicken & turkeys to prepare for the chance of an "overstock" this fall. The reason is the threat of COVID in the processing/manufacturing part of the industry that may have plants forced to reduce staff or close completely . Also, the indications that restaurants in North America will still be running at limited capacity and the prediction for a dismal holiday season will have fewer demands for poultry, as well. So, don't wait for a great sale in full chickens or a turkey this fall, because there might not be one. Say what you want of this info., I'm trying to give you a "heads up" on what's to come.  
 
Just my opinion, I could be wrong.  
 
Edited by snowman5, 2020-08-29 11:29:49

Totally agree Milky Way, if you are paying for convince,the mac and cheese is a perfect example you definitely will be paying more , plus eating unhealthy , which in turn will lead to health issues..  
 
Granted there are many households, that have no other choice, due to time, etc .but if you do have the time and energy, it would benefit to get back to basics and start cooking.  
 
We are in a different way of life, and have a difficult time adjusting, but we need to start somewhere.  
 
Don't intend to preach doom and gloom, but it will be along time before it gets better, if ever.  
 
Edited by Peoplewatcher, 2020-08-29 11:59:04

You could buy a ten pound bag of flour at regular price, a jar of yeast, you should have salt in your cupboard and water from your tap. Sugar or honey would be an option. You could make at eight to ten times the thread you would pay for four or five loaves of store bought bread. You don’t need bread pans, any baking pan will work. There are ways to stretch your grocery dollar.

Bread, not thread  
Those ingredients will make a basic bread.

People wanted the plants to shut down to contain the virus. Well, they did. There is no shortage of beef, there is a backlog of thousands of animals waiting to get to the processing plants. The farmers are not getting any of the increase in beef prices, in fact, they are getting less. So, it is now up to you to vote with your grocery dollar, as to who gets it.

Because people will whine about a situation but often don’t make much effort to change something. Meat for example people can buy and use cheaper cuts, this is how families used to survive, oxtail makes fine soup for little cost. We just ate ox tongue for dinner, the butchers will give it away because no uses it. Most people won’t eat liver ( which is full of vitamins). There are many ways to eat healthy and well for little cost but it involves work and preparation. My family lives cheaply because we have to but we sure don’t go hungry or short of good nutrition I’ll tell you that.

Carbon tax affect's Farmers, Transport, Grocery stores, Utilities, Fertilizer plant's that make for the Farmers and the list goes on. Every little thing adds up in the long run. Just imagine if the minimum wage gets bumped up drastically. With all the stuff being shut down because of Covid has an effect as well, Maybe Tariffs with the states, so many variables. It could be everything is just catching up to the Consumer (us). I could very well be wrong and I'm not looking to argue anything but makes sense to me, I don't think prices of everything are sky rocketing just because they can, Businesses operate on basic math as well as competition. charge to much no one shops, charge to little and eventually they would close the doors.  
 
Edited by macgruber, 2020-08-29 14:16:21