Sylvain Charlebois, a food distribution professor at Dalhousie University, forecasts a significant price hike for this year’s traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The centerpiece of the meal, the turkey, is estimated to increase by approximately 18 per cent, while the overall cost of groceries is expected to rise between five to ten percent compared to the previous year.
The mounting costs are poised to alter Thanksgiving meals and impact regular grocery shopping behaviours. “People are adapting new habits,” shared Charlebois.
Data from a recent Dalhousie University Agri-Food Analytics Lab study bolsters Charlebois’ statement. It reveals that over 64 per cent of Canadians have already tweaked their shopping habits in the past year. A substantial 86.4 per cent have developed greater cost-awareness, 55.1 per cent have instituted cost-saving measures, and 79.2 per cent have signed up for various loyalty programs.
One of these concerned individuals is Dartmouth shopper, Mike Shea, who attests to the soaring prices of groceries. He said, “We are trying to do penny-pinching where we can.”
Concerns over the rising grocery costs extend to charity organizations such as Souls Harbour Rescue Mission. Its CEO, Michelle Porter, expressed apprehensions about the impending Thanksgiving weekend, stating her immediate concern stemmed from the staggering grocery prices.
Porter shared that the prices “have tripled in a lot of the items” and the organization faces a gargantuan task of serving Thanksgiving meals in Halifax, Bridgewater, Truro, and Lower Sackville. There is a growing concern that a significant number of people might be left unable to afford a Thanksgiving dinner, raising even more widespread fears related to food affordability in the future.
In response to the escalating grocery prices, Charlebois reports that consumers are increasingly seeking discount stores like Giant Tiger and Dollarama for their grocery needs. It is a trend that he predicts will persist and grow stronger in the foreseeable future.
