Key takeaways:
- The latest Statistics Canada figures reveal that food prices are up 9.7 percent over the previous year.
- Inflation is pushing up the costs of food things she sells.
Inflation forces have pushed Nunu Deselgne to increase prices on everything in her Edmonton grocery shop, Habesha African Market, with two peculiarities: eggs and milk.
“Those are necessary for people,” Deselgne told CBC’s Edmonton AM on Thursday. “So we’re making an impact on those.”
Her shop, at 10418 107th Ave., is in one of the city’s lower-income communities in central Edmonton.
With prices rising nearly every new shipment, Deselgne isn’t sure how long she can keep eating her charges.
Deselgne is not alone. Grocers in Edmonton have to increase costs on the foods they sell as inflation, mixed with a labor shortage and supply-chain problems, has forced prices through the roof.
On Wednesday, Statistics Canada said that Canada’s inflation rate grew to 7.7 percent in May, the highest in 40 years. Grocery costs have risen 9.7 percent over the last year.
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“It’s just always going higher and higher by week,” Deselgne said. “It’s quite stressful.”
The Spice Centre, at 9280 34th Ave. in Mill Woods, has also had to raise prices, partially due to rising shipping charges.
“We have been in business for over 30 years now, and we have never seen price differences like these,” Spice Centre co-owner and manager Aman Bindra stated.
Costs are up, but earnings are down, he said.
The shop caters to a significant South Asian and Caribbean population and orders many of its products from India and the Caribbean.
Before the outbreak, a container that cost Bindra $5,000 and took five to six weeks is now costing him about $15,000, not coming for months.
Source – cbc.ca
