GUELPH, ON/t. — - In food retailing, 2014 was clearly the year of the animal protein. Meat prices increased dramatically this year, by more than 15 per cent on average. The good news for 2015 is that Canadian consumers are not likely to experience the shocking price hikes at meat counters that we all witnessed this year. The bad news is that prices on many foods are nonetheless on the rise.
The Food Institute at the University of Guelph is forecasting that food prices will rise above general inflation in 2015. And yes, meat prices are likely to increase again, but not as much as this year. Given Canada's lukewarm currency these days, the story in 2015 will likely be about the price of produce. Canadians should expect to pay much more for imported fruits or vegetables. Fish may also increase as well. This is the first time in years that the annual forecast is predicting hikes in two major food categories in the same year - meats and produce. This is troubling news for consumers who are financially vulnerable, which can occur simply due to location.
The oft-forgotten North made headlines recently with some disturbing news. Reports about residents in northern communities who are forced to scrounge dumps for food as a result of high food prices sent a powerful message across the country.
Meanwhile, the Auditor General in Ottawa had more disconcerting news. According to a recent report, it seems the Northern subsidy program is failing miserably. When the program was set up in 2011, its focus was to make healthier food products more accessible and affordable to consumers living in isolated northern communities. Subsidies were to be passed on to consumers through appropriate price reductions on eligible foods. After three years, results seem mixed for an array of reasons outlined in the report. Some Northern groups suggest that while grocery stores are able to access subsidies offered by the program, consumers are still being gouged. High price points on meats and produce, in particular, put these foods out of reach for many consumers.
With a budget exceeding $300 million over five years, evidence that the federal government has made a difference in Northern people's diets seems to be weak at best. At our expense, we are all starting to realize that making a region food-secure is nowhere near as complicated as properly addressing nutrition security.
Food systems are inherently complicated - anywhere. Fortuitously, debates on food security are shifting towards discussions related to nutrition security. Offering calories to a population in need is helpful, but helping a community access a nutritious diet all year round is a very different objective, and one which requires a different strategy: a comprehensive one. Access to sufficient food in developed economies is no longer expected as much as proper nourishment.
Canada has its fair share of ill-designed policies around nutrition security. Many of these have been created to serve the south while often overlooking remoter regions. As an example, supply management, a system intended to offer Canadians stable, affordable prices for dietary staples like milk, is two to three times more expensive in the North than in other parts of Canada. If we are to value supply management, this cost discrepancy needs to change.
In the grand scheme of things, Canadians still have access to one of the most affordable food baskets in the world; the situation is not critical as most Canadians are food secure. But for some regions, food price hikes can literally be a matter of survival. Allowing Canadians mere survival is not enough. All Canadians should have a reasonable opportunity to eat well.
The federal government's attempt to offer a better chance to northern communities with Nutrition North should be recognized. The program, though, seems to be short on results. For the sake our northern friends, that too needs to be acknowledged, as soon as possible.
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Sylvain Charlebois is a professor of food distribution and policy at the University of Guelph in Ontario.
