Food insecurity expected to intensify amid rising food prices in 2022: Canada's Food Price Report
Food insecurity is expected to intensify as the price of food will continue to increase in the coming year, according to Canada's Food Price Report.
Canada's Food Price Report for 2022, which was released on Thursday by Dalhousie University and the University of Guelph, estimates overall food prices are going to increase up to seven per cent.
A family of four, the report estimated, will spend around $14,767 on food in 2022. This is an increase of more than $900 compared to 2021.
The rising food prices will hit some Canadians harder than others.
"Disproportionately higher food prices will have a more severe impact on women, Indigenous populations, people of colour and other vulnerable populations," the report reads.
The report said inflation hit an 18-year-high in 2021, driven by high oil costs, high housing costs and rising food prices. It pointed out that for the most part, wages and salaries have not kept pace with the increase in prices.
The report said because of the rising food prices and inflation rates, food insecurity is expected to become a growing issue in 2022.
"There will likely be more demand for and reliance on food programs or food banks if incomes do not rise to meet food expenditures and other basic needs giving Canadians an estimate of food prices they can expect in the coming year," the report reads.
"Food programs may face increased demand along with higher costs for food, and food retailers may see increased rates of theft."
SUPPLY CHAIN AND CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS
From wildfires in British Columbia to drought conditions in the Prairies, the report said climate change-related adverse weather effects have had an impact on food prices and supply.
"Smaller harvests and poor crop yields will continue to raise the price of bakery items," the report reads.
"While water scarcity and heat have forced farmers to reduce herd sizes causing increases in meat prices."
Dairy and restaurant menu prices are expected to see the largest increase in the coming year, between six and eight per cent.
Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, and Saskatchewan are expected to see higher than average food inflation rates in the coming year.
The report said Manitoba can expect below average food price increases.
"Despite the Canadian food supply chain’s resiliency and adaptability to the challenges posed by the virus, it remains unclear when the COVID-19 pandemic will end and what permanent changes to the Canadian food industry it will leave behind," the report reads.
You can read the full report here:
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.