Inflation, particularly the rising cost of food, has been one of the top issues facing Canadians in 2022. And food inflation continues to make headlines across the country as people coast to coast grapple with already tight holiday budgets.
The numbers are clear. Even though Canada’s overall inflation rate has started to decline over the last few months, food inflation is still unacceptably high, leaving many Canadians facing stark choices about how to put food on the table, particularly around the holiday season where food plays such a significant role in celebrations nationwide.
Other, perhaps less well-known production costs like boxes and packaging have also gone up dramatically due to overall inflation in the economy. This means we have always been price takers with little to no ability to recoup cost increases from the marketplace and every price increase to our businesses makes it that much harder for growers to stay profitable or competitive.
There is a risk in relying too strongly on other countries to provide our food. As we’ve seen in the last several years, pandemics can shut borders, extreme weather events can damage or wipe out crops and geopolitical situations can change rapidly, turning long-standing agreements and relationships upside down.
The current Government’s policies and taxes (soon to be increased) are driving up food costs. TrudeauIsDestroyingCanada