Crazy Grocery Prices - Due to Loonie tanking.

[tjthemanto]

I read somewhere 80 % of groceries that come into Canada are imported from outside !

That's just nuts. They need proper farming or storage method and high technology to store Made in Canada produce, to encounter for our harsh winter. Can't find local produce anymore, its all from China, Mexico etc.

The grocery prices just suck due to the falling loonie. Yesterday I saw lousy Cauliflower , a small tiny one for
$ 5.99 . I remember just the past summer I used to buy large good quality Cauliflower for only $ 1.99.

Tomatoes were $ 2.49/lb , I used to buy them for less than 0.99/lb just a few months back. Retailers just using excuses to jack up the price of produce, especially fruits and veggies, more than they have to, due to the low loonie.

I am literally paying double for produce like fruits, veggies in the last 6 months or so.

And maybe 1.5 times more for chicken, meat , fish etc. Even bakery, cheese, eggs etc are higher.

[Davetherave]

Some produce like tomatoes and cauliflower only have a short period they can be stored, that's why we have to import so much. Potatoes and apples have a long storage time but the price goes upaccording to demand.

[Shwa Girl]

Yesterday I saw lousy Cauliflower , a small tiny one for
$ 5.99 . I remember just the past summer I used to buy large good quality Cauliflower for only $ 1.99.

The good news:
I saw a nice big bag of cauliflower florets at Costco for $4.99.
Summertime, cauliflower was in season and grown locally, so a good price.

[Shwa Girl]

And maybe 1.5 times more for chicken, meat , fish etc. Even bakery, cheese, eggs etc are higher.

The good news
There have been some nice brags in the last few months where SCs have bought chicken for $0.50 with great coupons they have found. Strategies to pay less for meat do exist. In the Brag section.

[Decaf]

Fresh produce and fruits are generally more expensive during winter months...and it doesn't help with the low Canadian Dollars. May have to resort to frozen and can veggies.

PS. My sister was complaining yesterday about expensive tiny broccolli.

[Arvilish]

I paid $4 for one lettuce this week

[beachdown]

Ouch. I have found produce to be cheapest at Freshco and Walmart (when close to expiry date)

I paid $4 for one lettuce this week

[Shwa Girl]

I paid $4 for one lettuce this week

Costco had 4 x Romaine lettuce for $4.99/pack last week

[wolfwoman]

Times like this is when I am glad I squirreled away food. I have 3 good sized freezers stuffed with food and all my cupboards well stocked with canned food.

[tjthemanto]

Frozen is not bad, taste is quite good and they are healthy too.

But I hate canned stuff. Too many preservatives and chemicals, the taste is also not that great.

I like fresh then frozen and then canned. I avoid canned as much as I can.

[maggiespice]

I really have noticed that with things like almonds, walnuts, actually, all different kinds of nuts. They are now so expensive that I have had to find alternative things to replace them. I refuse to buy the same pack of nuts that cost like 4-5 bucks less only 6 months ago!!!

[Shwa Girl]

Frozen is not bad, taste is quite good and they are healthy too.

But I hate canned stuff. Too many preservatives and chemicals, the taste is also not that great.

I like fresh then frozen and then canned. I avoid canned as much as I can.

have found canned veggies
without preservatives
without BPA (bis phenol A)
without salt

On sale! In 2015, too
And MillieH had that great thread where we got free canned veggies without salt etc. Some people really stocked up.

[scam-master]

op don't be fooled by the excuse of a low cdn dollar. This is a marketing scam for the excuse of higher grocery prices period. Don't forget that fuel prices are lower (although we should be paying .50/litre of fuel which is another marketing scam itself) which should lower transportation costs thus lower food prices. But this hasn't happened.
Years ago when the dollar was lower the same excuse was used. Did food prices drop 40% when our dollar was at $1.10? No they didn't.
So I say again don't fall for the excuse of our low dollar - its just an excuse for high prices.

[KJH]

I read somewhere 80 % of groceries that come into Canada are imported from outside !

That's just nuts. They need proper farming or storage method and high technology to store Made in Canada produce, to encounter for our harsh winter. Can't find local produce anymore, its all from China, Mexico etc.

The grocery prices just suck due to the falling loonie. Yesterday I saw lousy Cauliflower , a small tiny one for
$ 5.99 . I remember just the past summer I used to buy large good quality Cauliflower for only $ 1.99.

Tomatoes were $ 2.49/lb , I used to buy them for less than 0.99/lb just a few months back. Retailers just using excuses to jack up the price of produce, especially fruits and veggies, more than they have to, due to the low loonie.

I am literally paying double for produce like fruits, veggies in the last 6 months or so.

And maybe 1.5 times more for chicken, meat , fish etc. Even bakery, cheese, eggs etc are higher.

that is why I always shop at farmers markets in the summer and READ labels! look for the Canadian foof. They grow lots of veggies in greenhouses in Canada. You DON'T have to buy foreign food!

[HappyCouponSaver78]

That's insane, because my household has to rely on Chinese, or mostly imports fruit and veggies, my other strategies is to not going out to eat for a long time, eat frozen and canned veggies and don't buy imports I am missing bananas!