"Ottawa needs to look into chicken prices across the country. Whole chicken prices are up 33.5% on average over the last 12 months. Given that chicken is supply-managed in Canada, consumers have every right to ask why prices are rising this aggressively."

“Canada is experiencing what I call a quiet food insecurity challenge. While many Canadians are not significantly affected by higher food prices, countless others are being absolutely crushed by the rising cost of living, including food unaffordability.” See entire interview below.

Canada's food inflation has led the G7 in recent months (around 4% in March 2026 vs. lower rates in the US, Germany, etc.), per StatCan and Trading Economics data. Key drivers include the carbon tax embedded in the supply chain, retaliatory tariffs on US imports, a weaker CAD raising import costs, plus regulations and compliance burdens unique to Canada. Global factors like weather and energy prices hit everyone, but these domestic policies have compounded the gap. Media often highlights external blame while underplaying policy impacts. A complete view requires examining all cost layers.

@FoodProfessor They add these dates to far too many products now. Tinned goods are good for a lot longer than the tin says. Baked beans especially, they shouldn’t even have a date, they are cooked after they are tinned.

@FoodProfessor It’s a beautiful irony that so many media companies consistently share the same talking points. This makes things painfully obvious to Canadians. It’s unfortunate they don’t take the long view and offer a more balanced perspective.

For media stories on food inflation tomorrow, expect the usual suspects — Liberal-leaning, and often publicly funded academics and experts (rarely disclosed) — to once again argue that rising food prices have little to do with Ottawa’s policies. Ironically, many of them neither conduct research on food pricing nor forecast food inflation. Instead, expect the usual explanations: Trump, climate change, consumer demand, or vague accusations of “profiteering,” while avoiding more difficult conversations about taxes, regulation, counter-tariffs, recycling fees, and policy decisions affecting Canada’s food supply chain. Canadians deserve a fuller picture of what’s actually driving food costs. This pattern has become more noticeable as many media organizations themselves have grown increasingly dependent on federal funding to survive.

The average Canadian household is now spending roughly $1,000-$1,500 more per year on gasoline compared to early March trends alone. That money has to come from somewhere. For many families, it means: ➡️Less restaurant spending. ➡️More pressure at the grocery store. ➡️More debt. ➡️More trading down to discount brands. More money at the pump, less money to spend on food.

Everyone is focused on the Strait of Hormuz, and rightly so. Energy matters enormously to food production and distribution. But the much bigger story right now may be the new U.S.-China grain agreement. Since April 1: ➡️Wheat is up roughly 15%-20% ➡️Corn up about 8%-12% ➡️Soybeans up 5%-8% If China ramps up purchases of U.S. grains again, feed, fertilizer, transportation, and food manufacturing costs could rise further later this year. Something to watch.

Reviewing a new study on carbon taxes in agriculture this morning. It’s not a Canadian study, but one scenario showed dairy production dropping by roughly 17% nationally after imposing a $150 per tonne carbon tax. The study argues that agriculture, unlike many other sectors, needs to be treated differently. Really surprising? We are starting to see more of these nuanced studies. About time.

“Canada is experiencing what I call a quiet food insecurity challenge. While many Canadians are not significantly affected by higher food prices, countless others are being absolutely crushed by the rising cost of living, including food unaffordability.” See entire interview below.