As the cost of groceries continues to climb, people are finding ways to adjust their spending habits and stretch their dollars.

“I have to keep to items that are reasonable in price,” said one Cambridge grocery shopper, buying only foods on sale.

Other shoppers say they’re using coupons and price matching for the first time.

“Flyers to match the prices and it saves a few bucks, it goes a long way… you can get more items,” said another Cambridge resident.

Some people have even had to turn to community services to put food on the table. Cambridge resident Sherry Spencer said she’s been to the local food bank before, but has never needed to depend on it until now.

“Shopping in the grocery stores, the prices are horrendous,” said Spencer. “People can’t afford it, they can’t afford to pay rent, let alone food!”

Spencer said she is only feeding herself, but still spends her entire paycheque on groceries.

LOCAL FOOD BANKS ALSO AFFECTED

The Cambridge Food Bank is also feeling the pinch.

“Even though we get wholesale prices, we’ve seen the cost rise pretty significantly, anywhere from a 50 per cent increase, to a couple of items by 80 per cent,” said Dianne McLeod, executive director of the food bank.

McLeod said they saw over 100 new families use their service in June on top of the 1,000 families they already serve.

According to Statistics Canada in June, one in five Canadians expect they are likely to get food or meals from a community organization in the next six months. 

The increased demand has meant the food banks needs to restock their shelves about 15 times a day, but food donations aren’t keeping up. McLeod said donations in bins at grocery stores are down 40 per cent.

“They can’t afford to buy extra anymore,” said McLeod. “And when they can, they can’t buy those high price items like cereal and peanut butter.”

Statistics Canada’s consumer price index for May 2022 indicated the price of food rose by 9.7 per cent, matching the gain in April.

SOME RELIEF IN SIGHT

Simon Somogyi, a food business professor at the University of Guelph, said it marks some of the highest food prices we’ve seen in almost 40 years, but some grocery relief is expected in the future.

“Historically, food prices in Canada drop a little bit in the summer months and the fall… when some fruit and vegetable production starts and we’re less reliant from places like the U.S. and Mexico,” said Somogyi.