The 10th annual Canada Food Price Report estimated Canadian families will dish out $487 more on food this year, for an average total household grocery bill of $12,667 a year.
Rising meat, produce and seafood prices are to blame. The report was released in December. Meat prices are projected to rise by as much as six percent, and produce and seafood prices by about four percent.
The overall projected national price jump is two to four percent – higher than last year’s 1.5 to 3.5 percent.
The report is a joint project between the University of Guelph’s Arrell Food Institute and Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab. It provides a price forecast for eight food categories.
Extreme weather, food recalls and the tightening of the U.S.-Mexico border are all contributing to skyrocketing produce prices.