Canadians having trouble feeding their families, wages not rising fast enough: Poll

Inflation and rising grocery costs have hurt Canadians' wallets, a new survey says.

According to the poll, conducted by Angus Reid Institute, nearly half of respondents say that they have trouble covering their family's grocery bill.

37 percent of respondents said that affording enough food to feed their households during the pandemic has been "difficult," with another 9 percent saying it has been "very difficult."

The survey also shows that most respondents have not seen their wages increase to counter the rising cost of goods.  37 percent of respondents said that their wages have not increased "enough," with another 42 percent responded "No, not even close."

According to a report from StatCan released on Wednesday, prices for food rose 3.9 percent year-over-year in September, with prices rising 2.7 percent in August.
"The gain in September was led by prices for food purchased from stores, which rose 4.2% in September, following a 2.6% increase in August. Food purchased from restaurants rose 3.1% in September, following a 3.2% increase in August," the report says.

Meat products saw a nearly 10 percent increase "in almost every sector in September and rose the fastest pace since April 2015, following a 6.9 percent gain in August," the report says.

"Prices for fresh or frozen chicken (+10.3%) and fresh or frozen beef (+13.0%) were up in September, partly due to higher input costs and continued strength in demand."

"Pork (+9.5%) and processed meat (+6.2%) prices increased in September compared with September 2020. Prices for bacon (+20.0%) saw the largest year-over-year gain since January 2015. Temporary closures of production facilities partially contributed to the higher prices.

"Prices for seafood and other marine products also rose year over year (+6.2%). Consumers paid more for shrimps and prawns (+8.9%), which contributed the most to the increase, as supply chain disruptions in major export countries continue to have an impact on prices.

"Prices for dairy products (+5.1%) such as butter (+6.3%) and cheese (+4.6%), and eggs (+5.4%), all rose in September compared with the same month last year. Prices for edible fats and oils rose 18.5%, the largest year-over-year increase since January 2009."