Higher Food Prices In Canada Are Making Groceries More Expensive & Bacon Is So Pricey

If you've been to the grocery store lately and noticed higher food prices, you're not the only one; data from the government and experts show that it's getting more expensive to shop.

Statistics Canada has released data for August 2021 about the monthly average retail prices for food and the percentage change of prices as well and it shows plenty of household staples are getting pricier.

Some of the most expensive products that you'll find at the grocery store right now are meats. Meat, in general, experienced a 6.9% increase from August 2020 to August 2021 while bacon and ham went up by 10.9% in that year. A 1-kilogram sirloin steak, for instance, cost $25.33 in August, and a 1-kilogram prime rib roast was $39.26.

The price for 500 grams of bacon was $8.24 — the most expensive it's ever been, according to CTV.

Four litres of homogenized milk cost $6.12 with fresh milk going through a 3% increase, 454 grams of butter cost $5.52 with a 10.2% change and a dozen eggs cost $3.91 with a 7.9% increase.

Other items that have gone through increases include 200 grams of instant coffee, which cost $7.14, up by 1.2%, and 1 kilogram of apples which cost $4.97, up by 6.8%.

According to Statistics Canada, the percentage change in food prices from August 2020 to August 2021 is an increase of 2.7%.

However, Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab has observed that the food inflation rate is close to 5% in Canada. The lab's research suggests that prices have increased for many grocery items in recent months because of weather patterns and logistical challenges stemming from the pandemic.