Canadians are buying less food. Now what?

The release of retail data by Statistics Canada last week has provided valuable insights into the dynamic nature of food retailing in Canada.

Contrary to initial assumptions, the data reveals intriguing fluctuations in Canadian food and beverage retail sales per capita since 2017, challenging prevailing expectations and necessitating a closer examination of the underlying factors at play.

The figures indicate that in March 2017, sales per capita stood at $258.41, experiencing a marginal decline to $257.05 in March 2018 and a further decrease to $256.61 in March 2019. However, a notable shift occurred in March 2020, with sales per capita surging to $309.19.

In March 2022, sales per capita experienced a further decrease to $257.55. The most recent available data from March 2023 reveals a further decline to $237.20. These figures suggest that Canadians are spending less on food at grocery stores, despite facing higher food prices.

But here is another piece of valuable data. Recent NIQ data indicates a two per cent decline in food sales by volume in Canada in the last year, further emphasizing the reduction in food expenditures among Canadians.

Individuals are opting for lower-cost alternatives and seeking out independent stores that cater specifically to the needs and preferences of immigrant communities.

The data also suggests that Canadians may be wasting less food, particularly with the rise in remote work arrangements. The consumption of leftovers and repurposing of food could be contributing to reduced food waste. The occurrence of “shrinkflation,” whereby product sizes are reduced without a corresponding decrease in prices, may also play a role in reducing waste.

Another possibility of concern raised by the data is that Canadians may be consuming less food or relying on food banks more frequently. Reports of long lines at food banks and increased usage across the country indicate a potential rise in food insecurity.

Bottom line, if people think grocers are riding the inflation wave with their food sales, they should think again. It’s just not happening. Loblaw, for example, saw its food sales go up 3.1 per cent in the first quarter, which is significantly below our food inflation rate. Grocers are treading water with food sales, at best. Record profits are being recorded, but it’s not because of food sales.

Canadians are buying less food, and, chances are, that trend is likely to continue for a while. Just like in the early 80s, consumers are programmed to seek deals all the time. This is what the market is doing to all of us right now. We are all becoming better bargain hunters, for those of us lucky enough to afford the food we need to eat.

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the agri-food analytics lab and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University. © Troy Media

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When you reflect on a tragedy or a loss, time bends in curious ways. It’s hard to believe that it was 10 years this week. I sat there with more than 1,000 people at the Metropolitan Bible Church, paying respects to Rowan Stringer, who died from a concussion in a local high school rugby game.

From The Other Side

why she was a link crew leader. It was important to her to help the younger students feel at home. In fact, it was so important to her that she did the unusual and took on that role for two years rather than one.

Joy.

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I sat there, absorbing the emotion and heartbreak in the room, wondering what I would write. How do you compress one of the saddest yet most beautiful hours that those of us there have ever witnessed into words?

And to fill this column, I would need about 900 of them.

Tragedy.

It was one of the worst tragedies our community has ever seen.

Questions.

Why does God always seem to take the most wonderful and special people from us before their time?

Friendship.

Rowan Stringer was full of it. Facebook couldn’t keep up with her. She had friends in every social media nook and cranny you could imagine.

Pain.

Shakespeare himself couldn’t have concocted a metaphor that could begin to touch the amount of pain Rowan Stringer’s friends and family were feeling.

Tears.

It was said during the service that tears are precious to God. We need tears to grieve and to heal. Young people, many of whom were processing a loss like this for the first time, sobbed their hearts out. All of us in the auditorium did, too. Yet, hearing those comforting words of perspective from Pastor Dan Winter, I looked at tears – even my own – in a different light. Maybe we all felt that tears shed for Rowan Stringer were just a little bit more powerful and special than other tears we have shed. I gladly served mine up to God, and I’m sure a lot of people in that room did, too.

Laughter.

We kept hearing stories from her friends –school friends, rugby teammates and ringette teammates – about Rowan Stringer’s infectious laughter. It filled a room. It was unforgettable.

Singing.

They all joked about how Rowan Stringer couldn’t carry a tune but never cared. Even her father joked about it. Some people dance like no one is watching. Rowan Stringer sang like no one was listening. Movies.

She loved to watch scary movies with her friends. Even though some of her friends admitted they didn’t really like scary movies, they said they watched them just because they knew how much she loved them.

Role Model.

Rowan Stringer was described by many as the perfect role model. She remembered how frightening it was to go to a big high school like John McCrae Secondary School in Grade 9. That’s

One of her teachers commented on how every time Rowan walked by in the hallway, she had a smile on her face. Always.

Selfless.

Rowan Stringer was going to be headed to the University of Ottawa to study nursing in the fall. Her dream was to become a nurse and to take her skills to Africa. She was going to make a difference in the world. Sitting in that auditorium, it was clear that she already had. Leader.

There are many types of leadership. Rowan Stringer exemplified all of them. She was a friend. She was a motivator. She set an example for everyone else to follow. One of her rugby teammates told me in the reception after the service that Rowan was the perfect teammate. Legacy.

Rowan Stringer, at 17, had enough wisdom to sign her organ donor card. She has already given the gift of life to others, as her vital organs were shipped to the Toronto area immediately after her passing. Her heart stayed in Ottawa. Gratitude.

God bless the Stringer family for the strength and courage in this tragedy. Her parents spoke eloquently of how the support from the community kept the family going as they expressed their genuine thanks. Rowan’s sister, Cassie, fought through her tears to talk about how thankful she was to have had Rowan as a sister. Articulate.

Rowan Stringer was very articulate. In fact, she was selected to read “In Flanders Fields” during the John McCrae Remembrance Day service last year. I thought about how cool that must have been, since John McCrae himself wrote that poem. I kept thinking of the famous line from the poem, “To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high.” Who will carry the torch of leadership left by Rowan Stringer? Love.

Rowan’s close friend, Owen, wept has he fought through one of the most beautiful eulogies I have ever heard in my life. No words can some up someone as perfect as Rowan, he said. There can only be memories. Impact.

Rowan Stringer had more impact on this world in her 17 years than most will in a lifetime. Legacy.

I was just learning about Rowan Stringer then. A year later, Rowan’s parents, Gord and Kathleen, went to Maddy’s Gala with us. We talked about doing something to create a legacy for her. MPP Lisa MacLeod jumped in, pushed and now every kid who plays sports in Canada knows about Rowan’s Law.

Rowan Stringer has done more for us since her passing than most of us ever will do while we are alive.