“Being Poor and Eating Well: Try It!”: Common Front for Social Justice releases results of their food price survey

Moncton – At a media conference called, “Being Poor and Eating Well: Try It!” on August 27th in Moncton, the Common Front for Social Justice released the results of their annual food survey. Food prices increased by 3.33% according to a 2012 survey.

The Common Front surveyed the price of 67 food items included in Health Canada’s nutritious food basket. The survey teams went to 31 N.B. grocery stores. Ten Co-op stores, ten Sobeys stores and ten Superstore stores from across the province were surveyed as well as one Save Easy store in St-Antoine.

“We observed that overall food prices vary according to chain store. The total price of the 67 food items included in the nutritious food basket for ten Co-op stores was $257 (the lowest price). It averaged $276 in the 10 Sobeys stores surveyed. Food prices were the highest in the ten Atlantic Superstores surveyed with an average cost of $288,” says Auréa Cormier, the person responsible for the survey on behalf of the Common Front for Social Justice.

The results of the present survey indicate that between July 2011 and July 2012, the price of food had risen by 3.33%. The increase is more than twice the overall inflation rate in Canada, namely 1.5% in June 2012. All food groups showed variations in prices when compared to those of 2011.

1.      Here are some of highlights of the annual food survey:

·        In the high protein food group, 15 food items were more expensive in 2012. Seven of these items had major price hikes which ranged from 40.3% for sliced ham to 14.2% for pork chops. Eight other high protein items had more modest price increases, ranging from 3.8% for frozen fish fillet down to 1.1% for milk.

·        In the fruit group, seven items had price increases ranging from 30.6% for grapes down to 2.1% for fresh oranges.

·        In the vegetable group, twelve of them were sold for a higher price than in 2011, ranging from 23.2% for frozen peas down to 0.9% for green peppers.

·        In the cereal-based products, five of them were more expensive in 2012 compared to 2011, ranging from 8.1% for hamburger rolls to 2.5% bran flakes cereal.

·        In the fats and oil group, canola oil was 5.4% more expensive and Italian salad dressing cost more by 11.2%.

“We analysed the monthly costs of eating well in 2012 for four types of households. It is very clear that for each type, the food cost requires an important part of the budget, especially for a couple with two children ($827.45 per month) and for a single parent with one child ($464.43 per month),” says Cormier.

“We are making eleven recommendation in order to change the situation especially for people who are living in poverty,” says Jean-Claude Basque, also with the Common Front for Social Justice.