Canada's Food Price Report 2022 predicts a 5% to 7% increase in food costs

Consumers' food choices continue to be motivated by health, environmental sustainability, and a commitment to supporting local food supply chainsHALIFAX, NS, Dec. 9, 2021 A Food prices in Canada are going up a?? again. Canada's Food Price Report 2022 forecasts an overall food price increase of 5% to 7% for the coming year, the highest predicted increase in food prices since the inception of the report twelve years ago. The most significant increases are predicted for dairy and restaurants at 6% to 8%, and bakery and vegetables at 5% to 7%. "It's important for consumers to understand that food prices have been going up for some time, and there's no turning back," says Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, project lead and Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. "Our relationship with food is changing, and so will our food budgets. Showing up at the grocery store knowing what you should be paying will help."This year's report predicts that a family of four, including a man (age 31-50), woman (age 31-50), boy (age 14-18), and girl (age 9-13) will pay up to $14,767.36 for food, an increase of up to $966.08 from the total annual cost in 2021. Food price increases in Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, and Saskatchewan will likely be higher than the national average in 2022, while price increases in the remaining provinces will be lower.