Who will be hit hardest if Canada’s food prices go up in 2017? (Global News)

Context: Dalhousie University’s Food Price Report predicts a three to five per cent food price hikes in 2017, in large part due to a new american government, trade policies, climate events and a weak loonie. With rising food bank dependency and increasing numbers of people living in food insecurity, the problem remains in people’s incomes and their difficulty to keep up with inflation. 

Article published on December 8th, 2016 by Andrew Russell, Global News.

"Shelling out an additional $420 for groceries next year could put the country’s most vulnerable populations at greater risk for malnutrition, experts warn.

Diana Bronson, executive director at Food Secure Canada, said if food prices go up between three and five per cent in 2017 as identified in a report earlier this week, low-income families and those living in northern communities will suffer the most. “We already have 4 million Canadians that have trouble putting a healthy diet in front of their families,” Bronson said. “It’s just going to get worse.”

Canada’s Food Price Report, released Monday from Dalhousie University, found that climate events, trade policies — including a potential effect of carbon pricing — and a weak loonie could contribute to the price hikes. Researchers at Dalhousie found prices for meat, vegetables, fish and other seafood are projected to jump by four to six per cent and the cost for dairy, eggs, bakery products and cereals could see a two per cent bump.

“The real question is affordability. Can people afford price hikes?” asked Sylvain Charlebois, lead author of the report. “If the economy is not providing more to workers then of course we will have a problem.”

[...] A separate survey last month found that nearly a quarter of Canadians were worried about how to pay for groceries. And Global News has previously reported on how the country’s economic woes – particularly a slowdown in Alberta’s oil patch – has contributed to a growing food security crisis.

“The statistics of the number of people living in food insecurity in Canada are constant and growing and have been for some time,” said Bronson. “[We] need to look at where our food is coming from. Why it is costing so much? Who is profiting from that? And who is paying for it?”

Who will be hit hardest if Canada’s food prices go up in 2017? The cost of groceries in Canada may be about to skyrocket. According to one projection, families could be paying an average of $420 dollars more for food next year. Read the full Global News article.