The year 2022 is fast approaching and suggests that we do a retrospective of the year that is ending and a projection of what lies ahead. Food price inflation has hit most food categories this year, which is why the past 12 months have been a hassle for Canadians, both at the grocery store and at restaurants.
the Food Price Report 2022, published recently by Dalhousie University, University of Guelph, University of Saskatchewan and University of British Columbia, predicts that the average Canadian family could spend up to $ 966 more on groceries in 2022 , compared to this year. This is a record since the very first report 12 years ago. The lab also published an update on the intentions of Canadians for the coming year with regard to food and other aspects of their lives related to food.
A total of 9,999 Canadians took part in this survey, telling us about their retail and foodservice expectations for the next 12 months. The report also looked at New Year’s resolutions and how Canadians will attempt to counter rising food prices, or whether they plan to approach the concept of food in their lives differently. The survey first asked Canadians how quickly they believed the price of food was increasing relative to their household income. In total, 89.8% of those polled said that the price of food was increasing at a faster rate than their income. Our affordability problem is real.
In three years, this is the highest percentage of Canadians who believe the price of food is rising faster than their income. In the Food Price Report 2022, regarding forecasts that predict food prices will increase by as much as 7% in the new year, most Canadians believe that these forecasts remain too low.
In total, 60.2% of Canadians expect the price of food to increase further. Prince Edward Island had the highest rate at 68.2%, while Quebec had the lowest rate at 51.0%.
For the New Year, some food categories are of more concern than others. Not surprisingly, the price of meat is of great concern to Canadians. Two years ago, in a similar poll, the vegetable category was of great concern. For 2022, while a total of 49.3% of Canadians say they are concerned about the price of meat, 22.8% are worried about the price of vegetables. Fruits correspond to 12.8% and dairy products to 6.4%. Fish and seafood and baked goods are not categories of great concern to consumers.
These results are interesting because perceptions do not reflect what is actually happening in grocery stores. Even though commodity prices barely budged this year, Canadians are still concerned about the fluctuating price of produce, just as they were two years ago when prices went up. When consumers are frightened, it sparks the imagination. It is likely that many still believe that a cauliflower costs $ 8, although it sells for less than $ 2 this year.
New habits
For the new year, a total of 63% of Canadians intend to change their habits. The most popular decision for 2022 with 52.8% is opting for more frequent use of coupons. The second most popular habit change in the survey was to reduce eating out. In total, 51.7% of Canadians intend to avoid restaurants in the New Year. Copybooks are also expected to become more popular, with 45.5% of buyers wanting to consult them more often.
Since the start of the pandemic, it has been repeatedly reported that shoppers visit different food markets or even change their main grocery store. This trend is likely to continue in 2022, as 31.9% plan to visit different grocery stores.
Finally, the poll asked what more Canadians plan to do about food in the New Year. The main resolution for 2022 is to reduce food waste and eat more vegetables. At the start of 2020, a pre-pandemic period, we also carried out a similar investigation. The results were similar as reduced food waste and increased consumption of fruits and vegetables were in the top ranks.
The option to cook more often is third on the list of food resolutions for 2022. Changing diets and eating more leftovers also received strong support, as in 2020. Compared to our last pre-pandemic survey in 2020, a few new choices are on the list, in particular changing the way of managing meals (15.0%), eating more fish and seafood (11.6%), gardening (9.3%), order food online (7.1%) and order more meal kits (4.7%). These flagship new resolutions somewhat reflect how the food landscape has changed as a result of the pandemic.