‘It’s like the four horsemen of the apocalypse have taken up careers in the food industry,’ says Gary Sands, vice-president of government relations at the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers
These days, it feels like every visit to the grocery store is a little more painful than the last.
The official data confirms your frustration. According to Statistics Canada, the cost of groceries rose 3.5 per cent annually in August — with the price of fresh and frozen beef surging 12.7 per cent.
“We feel your pain,” says Gary Sands, vice-president of government relations at the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, which represents nearly 7,000 independent stores across the country. “There’s just too many factors at play that are impacting prices.”
Sands was a guest this week on our Closer Look podcast.
“It’s like the four horsemen of the apocalypse have taken up careers in the food industry,” he said. “We’ve had drought, wildfires, the war in Ukraine — which is still having an impact on the supply chain for certain products — the tariffs and the whole disruption that’s come to our supply chain. It’s just constant. And when those things happen, yes, they do have an impact on prices. But they are things that we can’t control.”
Is he optimistic that grocery prices will eventually start to stabilize?
“I do predict it will,” Sands said. “One of the opportunities that’s come out of the challenge of dealing with the Trump administration has been the desire to reduce inter-provincial trade barriers and start doing more within our own country. I think that will lead to more opportunities for Canadian companies, and is something we welcome. I think that will help stabilize prices, I really believe that.”
You can watch the full podcast episode HERE.
Podcast hosts Scott Sexsmith (left) and Michael Friscolanti, Editor-in-Chief of Village Media.
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