By Alice McFarlane

This is Food Freedom Day in Canada

Feb 8, 2022 | 3:06 PM

MELFORT, Sask. — The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) has calculated that by Feb. 8, a Canadian household of average income will have earned enough to pay for their entire year’s grocery bill.

CFA examines the proportion of income that Canadians spend on food as a way to analyze year-over-year spending changes and raise consumers’ understanding of Canada’s food system.

Canadians spent 10.7 per cent of their disposable income on food in 2021, which is slightly lower than the 11 per cent spent on food in 2020. Because of this, Food Freedom Day is now one day earlier than last year.

President Mary Robinson said it’s always great to see the overall figure improve.

“It’s also important to see the different realities in households across Canada and reflect on what rising food inflation means for food security across Canada,” Robinson said.

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While Canada’s food system continues to provide access to affordable food by global standards, the pandemic has affected Canadian households in different ways depending on their vocation, location, and a wide variety of other factors.

For some, disposable incomes have increased throughout the pandemic, particularly for those who had no disruptions to their livelihoods coupled with a lack of spending opportunities. Others have seen large drops in their disposable income due to shutdowns in their industries.

Robinson said CFA recognizes the realities faced by many households across Canada and Canada’s ability to provide affordable food to many Canadians.

“We wanted to provide more context in order to show the effects that food prices are having on different segments of the population,” Robinson said.

While Canadians have seen food prices increase steadily throughout 2021 on the grocery shelves, farmers receive a small percentage of the price that consumers pay for food. Rising retail prices are not normally reflective of what is paid at the farm-gate.

Robinson said farmers have demonstrated their resilience and weathered the worst of the pandemic while continuing to provide safe, affordable, and nutritious food for Canada and the world.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW