Rising prices in supermarkets and on restaurant menus strike the imagination, so much so that 89.8% of Canadians say they are increasing faster than their wages, according to a poll by Dalhousie University, the results of which are published Thursday.
“In three years, this is the highest percentage of Canadians who believe that the price of food is increasing faster than their income,” it says.
“Of course, there are a lot of people who think they can afford less for what they see at the grocery store. This is not surprising, ”said Sylvain Charlebois, senior director of the laboratory of analytical sciences in agrifood at Dalhousie University, during a telephone interview with Press.
Last week the Annual Food Price Report 2022 predicted that the overall cost of food would increase by 5% to 7% nationwide. A family of four could spend up to $ 966 more than this year on food. Yogurt and cheese lovers as well as those who enjoy dining out are among those whose budgets will be hit the most.
According to the document, produced by four Canadian universities, the anticipated increase for dairy products and the restaurant bill is between 6% and 8%. These two categories are expected to experience the largest increase.
Thus, to counter this price increase on their budget, consumers will change their behavior, according to the data collected in the survey. “We will consult the advertising books, we will use coupons, there are a lot of habits that people intend to adopt, quite simply to save money,” explains Mr. Charlebois. The financial aspect has a big influence on the behavior of consumers at the grocery store. “
Thus, nearly 63% intend to review their habits, in particular by using discount coupons (52%). Bad news for restaurateurs, almost half of people surveyed (51.7%) want to avoid going out to eat. ” [Avec l’augmentation des prix], that will probably lessen our enthusiasm to go out, underlines Sylvain Charlebois. We’re not going to stop going out, but I have the impression that we’re going to go out a little less often. We will do without a dessert perhaps or a good bottle of wine. “