Food prices expected to rise again in 2015: report

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – You may have noticed your grocery bills have been higher this year, especially if you’re a big meat eater.

But what will your total at the till look like in 2015?

The University of Guelph has come out with its annual food price report. Sylvain Charlebois with the university says he thinks prices of meat will continue to climb.

But he says the momentum won’t be quite as high as it has been this year. He expects prices will go up between three and five per cent.

Another category where he’s expecting similar hikes is fish and seafood. Vegetables and fruits are also likely to become more expensive.

There are three main reasons Charlebois gives for the price hikes: demand, climate change, and a lack of rain in California.

“Our dollar’s value against the greenback is decreasing rapidly and so is our buying power for foods,” says Charlebois.

He adds when it comes to protein, there are shifts all over that are affecting prices.

“Emerging markets are eating more chicken, pork, [and] beef. But in Canada, we’re not eating as much beef; we’re eating more fish and we’re eating more chicken, as well. So there are shifts all over the place, which are affecting food systems overall, and it’s affecting our bottom line as consumers. So consumers are behaving differently; they’re buying different things and at the end of the day, of course, the food retailing business will have to adapt.”

There is some good news: Charlebois isn’t expecting prices for grains and dairy to change much.

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