The inflation of grocery prices is causing consumers wallets to grow smaller along with the amount of food they bring home.
Many people in Regina are noticing the increased prices of food within the past year. This has caused a lot of consumers to think about what they are buying before putting it in their carts.
“The food prices are absolutely ridiculous. Just last week I had to put a carton of milk back because I couldn’t afford it, I also have three kids to feed. It is getting harder every day,” said Lauren Kamplep, a shopper at the Walmart Supercentre.
According to the Food Price Report of 2022, the total predicted food cost of four people in a household is annually $8,741.78. This data is not adding the price of takeout or food waste, as it is considering that families cook and eat at home. The data also does not account for specialized food diets, and online food retail.
According to the Consumer Price Index report prices for food rose less in October +10.1 per cent compared with September +10.3 per cent of this year. Prices for meat +5.5 per cent, fresh fruit +8.9 per cent, and fresh vegetables +11.0 per cent increased at a slower pace in October compared with September.
“Grocery prices have gone up a lot in the past year, we are also suffering because of it. The lettuce shortage has left us with very little lettuce and because of the scarcity of it we now must increase our prices, we aren’t the only ones though, “ said a manager of a sandwich shop in Regina.
The supply chain issues for lettuce has customers wondering if it is even worth buying it for the premium at this time.
“I can’t find lettuce or green onions anywhere; a salad was one of the main side dishes I would eat and now I can’t buy it even if I wanted to. Last time I bought a pack it was almost nine dollars,” said Leta Lynn, a shopper at Co-op.
Experts who work in produce say the price and quality of lettuce and leafy greens are due to the poor crop season that happened in California this year where there was a drought. The price increase is due to the scarcity of the vegetable and if found will cost more than usual.
“The increase in grocery prices has been challenging for everyone in the past year. Unfortunately, we can not stop the prices of food from going up. Everything from produce to meat has been increasing but we are doing our best to keep things as low as possible,” said Mohammed Christner, a manager of Walmart.
The shortage of lettuce is only a part of what is causing food to go so high. The demand for food during the pandemic had also assisted with the inflation of goods seeing the demand has driven up prices.
Households ended up with more money during the pandemic, which has led them with access to spend which is pushing up prices and causing consumers to compete for goods.
Though prices are slightly going down, there is no timeline as to when things will go back to normal.
