Milk and dairy products are displayed for sale at a grocery store in Aylmer, Que., on Thursday, May 26, 2022. New figures show grocery inflation in Canada surged again in November as the price of basics like bread, eggs and dairy products shot up. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – New figures show grocery inflation in Canada surged again in November as the price of basics like bread, eggs and dairy products shot up.
Statistics Canada says prices for food purchased from stores rose 11.4 per cent last month compared with a year ago, up from an 11 per cent gain in October.
The agency says prices for groceries have now risen at a faster pace than overall inflation for 12 months in a row.
Coffee and tea prices were up 16.8 per cent in November while items such as edible fats and oils climbed 26 per cent, eggs rose 16.7 per cent and bread, rolls and buns were up 18.2 per cent.
Sylvain Charlebois, professor of food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University, says rising grocery prices is a global phenomenon with countries like France, Germany and the U.K. posting even higher food inflation rates than Canada last month.
Still, he says much of Canada’s food is produced domestically and prices are increasing due to a host of factors including higher labour, packaging and energy costs.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2022.
