Regular shoppers know that 2014 was the year of rising meat prices – especially when it came to pork.
What they may not know, and may not want to know, is that those keeping a close eye on the food industry say meat will only get more expensive in 2015.
“We’re expecting price hikes again,” University of Guelph professor Sylvain Charlebois tells CTV News.
Charlebois is one of the researchers behind U of G’s Food Price Report, which is calling for “food inflation” levels of 2.4 per cent.
While that number on its own isn’t a significant cause for concern, Charlebois says, the increases are being driven largely by meat, fish, seafood and produce prices.
The report forecasts grain prices to hold steady next year, while dairy prices may even see a slight decrease.
But when it comes to meat, increases of as much as five per cent are possible, largely due to porcine epidemic diarrhea and other diseases.
Cindy Gerber sells food direct from her farm at Oakridge Country Kitchen, a grocery store outside Ayr.
She’s seen the rise in calf prices firsthand.
One year ago, a five-pound calf would cost her no more than $700. Now, it’s double that.
“I can see things continuing to go up a bit – beef especially,” she says.
Another trend Gerber is seeing is that pork – even with higher prices – is a bigger seller than ever.
When it comes to fish, the culprit for price increases is less of an external threat and more of a market-based one.
“More and more consumers are looking at fish, considering fish as part of their diet,” Charlebois says.
“Demand is up, which is why we do expect prices to increase.”
Produce, meanwhile, is projected to rise due to the low Canadian dollar making imports more expensive.
