In celebration of Canada Food Day Prof. Erna van Duren, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, and Julia Christensen Hughes, Dean of the College of Management and Economics, compared some of the "real costs" of buying, preparing and cooking a chicken picnic.  Using the lowest-cost food they purchased at a discount grocery store, they were able to create the entire meal for just $13.33. The same low-cost meal totalled $15.80 when purchased at a higher-end grocery store, $16.50 at a farmers’ market and $17.75 from a specialty retailer. Buying a ready-made chicken meal from a restaurant ranged in price from $20.47 to $31.14 for the lowest-cost options and up to $44.49 for the most expensive meal. Given it takes about 100 minutes or to make this meal, the value created for the consumer by the food service industry ranges from  $20.47 to a high of $31.14 when compared with the lowest cost grocery store option.

The Canada Food Day Chicken Picnic Story [1]

Celebrate Food Day Canada with Canadian Cuisine [2] - At Guelph Story