Headline inflation in Canada continues to decline, but food inflation shows no signs of slowing down.
Food prices rose 11.4% year-on-year in January, up from 11% the previous month, according to Statistics Canada’s latest inflation report. Since August of last year, food inflation he has exceeded 10%.
Lettuce prices rose faster than any other food over the year, rising 35.3%. Due to widespread lettuce shortages in Canada last fall, some restaurants have removed leafy greens from their menus. Still, lettuce prices have fallen 5.8% since December and are still affordable compared to last month.
On the other hand, fresh vegetables as a whole increased by 14.7% from the previous year and by 3.8% from the previous month. Tomato prices in particular, he rose by 9% in a month.
The price of chicken has risen faster than nearly all other food items over the past month. From December to January, meat prices overall rose by 3.4%, while raw and frozen poultry prices rose by 9% during this period. Statistics Canada cites increased seasonal demand and supply constraints related to avian flu.
Wheat flour also rose 8% from last month and 23.2% from last year. The prices of edible oils and fats and wheat flour also rose by 23.2% and 22.3% respectively, but these prices did not change much from last month.
Butter also rose 19.1% year-on-year and 7% month-on-month, while bread, rolls and bread prices rose 18.1% year-on-year.
