Food prices expected to ease in Sask. in coming months, expert says

Between supply chain issues and inflation, food prices have seen sharp increases over the past few years.

Sylvain Charlebois, a food distribution and policy expert, commented on the unprecedented situation.

"Everything was getting more expensive all at once, and we actually have never seen this. We've been monitoring food prices for well over 20 years, and we never saw what we saw in 2022 and 2023," said Charlebois.

The need for cheaper groceries has created a demand for apps like 'Food Hero'. After being available in Quebec for five years, it is now being rolled out across Western Canada, connecting consumers to cheap clearance goods in local grocery stores.

"The economy is probably not as strong as it's been before, so who doesn't want to save on food?" the creator of Food Hero Jonathan Defoy said.

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According to Charlebois, the outlook for the coming months and years is positive with some potential relief at the grocery checkout.

"We should actually have access to some abundance coming from agriculture, our own domestic agriculture. Farmers will actually treat us well over the next little while. So that'll keep prices down, not just for central Canada but also for the prairies as well," Charlebois said.

However, Charlebois says the price of beef and other meats remains a concern for continued food inflation.

"If you actually take meat out, food inflation is largely inexistent really. Beef is way up, cattle futures are way up. So Saskatchewan farmers are doing well, but for consumers, it's tougher to buy beef right now," Charlebois added.

A recent report from the Bank of Canada shows inflation down to 2.6 percent. With inflation normalizing, Charlebois says Canadians can expect month-over-month price increases to slow down.