If you’ve noticed your grocery bill getting higher and higher, it’s probably because food prices in Canada have gone up over the last year as inflation hit a 30-year high.
Statistics Canada released its annual review of the Consumer Price Index, which measures price changes of consumer goods and services, on January 19 and there was a 3.4% increase for 2021.
That’s the fastest pace the index has risen by since all the way back in 1991!
The report said that Canadian consumers were faced with higher prices during 2021 in almost every category, including everyday necessities like food, which rose by 2.5%.
The cost of groceries, specifically, saw an increase of 2.2%.
Prices for breakfast staples increased too, with bacon (+12.5%), eggs (+6.3%), fresh fruit (+2.6%) and bread, rolls and buns (+0.6%) all costing more in 2021.
The annual average prices of dairy products rose by 2.8% partly because of higher prices for butter (+6.3%). The price of margarine (+7.4%) went up as well.
Prices of meat products increased by 4.3% on an annual average basis; for seafood, prices increased by 3.4%.
The cost of a few products, however, did actually go down in 2021! Prices of fresh vegetables decreased by 2.6%, with tomatoes dropping by 19.5% and lettuce prices going down by 1.8%.
According to a recent study from the Angus Reid Institute, 57% of Canadians said that they currently find it difficult to feed their household when asked to think about grocery shopping and their food budget.
Canada’s Food Price Report has predicted that the average family of four in Canada will spend $14,767.63 on food in 2022, which is an increase of $966.08 from 2021.
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