Save On Groceries: Here's What Foods Have been Impacted the Least by Inflation in Canada
By Ambia Staley
June 24, 2022Food prices having been increasing over the past year, and you may be feeling the squeeze at the register when making your weekly grocery trip.
In May 2022, Stats Canada released their Consumer Price Index report, which revealed Canadian consumer prices have increased across the board year over year, and in particular it was noted that Canadians paid 9.7% more for grocery purchases this April when compared with what they paid the year before -- that's the largest increase since September 1981!
The highest year-over-year increases were with pantry staples like pasta (+19.6%) and cereal products (+13.9%), as well as coffee (+13.7%). The Consumer Price Index also noted that foods such as rice (+7.4%) and fresh vegetables (+8.2%) had increased the least compared to the year before. The price increases have been attributed to a number of factors including rising gas prices, higher prices for inputs such as fertilizer and natural gas, and poor weather in growing regions.
If you're looking to ease the burden on your wallet and find out what you can stock up on, we've taken a look at some of the foods that have been impacted the least by inflation and reached back into the RedFlagDeals.com archives to see how prices may have changed over the years.
Canned Tuna
The price of canned tuna and other fish has remained generally stable over the past few years, making it a great option for households looking for an inexpensive protein source.
What we've noticed at RFD:
Going through the RedFlagDeals.com archives, we noticed tuna cans being listed around the $1.00 mark as far back as 2014. Since 2020, the price of canned tuna seems to vary between an average of $1.25 and $1.49 when on sale, but there are rare times when we spot them for $0.99 such as in the Food Basics flyer running from June 23-29!
Cheese
Milk in Canada has been hit with 2 price increases in 2022 (with the second increase going into effect on September 1), so while we can't say there's been no increase in dairy products, it might be less than many expected when it comes to products like cheese.
What we've noticed at RFD:
There has definitely been an increase in cheese prices over the past few years, but we didn't see the extreme jump in sale prices that we were expecting. Looking at 250-300g cheese bars, we found the products on sale between $2.00 and $2.50 between 2016 and 2019 at stores like No Frills and Shoppers Drug Mart. Since summer 2020, we've noticed the prices rising, with smaller cheese bars often over the $3.00 mark on sale, but there are times like in the June 25-30 Shoppers Drug Mart flyer when we spot them as low as $2.99!
Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts
Like cheese, ice cream has seen a bit of an increase, but it is less than expected with certain products, meaning you might still be able to indulge without breaking the bank.
What we've noticed at RFD:
People on RedFlagDeals really like frozen treats, so there was a lot of historical information to go through. We found Haagan-Dazs on sale for $4.50 back in 2015, which isn't far off from today's sale prices, since we spotted it on sale for $4.99 at Metro starting June 23, 2022.
When it comes to the popular blue tub of Breyer's Classic Frozen Dessert, the treat was commonly on sale for $1.97 prior to 2019. While we've spotted it at this price since 2020, it was quite rare, and the frozen dessert is more commonly seen on sale for $2.97.
As a bonus tidbit of information, it seems inflation hasn't impacted Burger King's $1.00 Soft Serve promotion, because the deal was offered for the same price as far back as 2015!
Rice
Out of all the food categories listed in the Consumer Price Index, rice seemed to have the lowest increase over the past year, so shoppers may want to opt for it as a starch to go with their meals.
What we've noticed at RFD:
Rice prices can vary wildly since there are numerous types of the grain offered in different bag sizes. We noticed 8kg bags of Jasmine rice on sale for $10.00 in 2016 and that remained constant up until 2021. We haven't spotted it on sale as often in 2022, but when we do, we see better deals around the $12.00 mark.
Potatoes
Potatoes are another great option to stock up on if you're looking for an affordable starch, as prices have not increased much over the years.
What we've noticed at RFD:
When potatoes have gone on sale, the better sales are often around $2.00 for a 10lb bag and this is a pattern we've seen since at least 2016. Since 2021, we have noticed that 10lb bags will go on sale for $2.00 less often than in previous years, and it might be more common to spot them on sale around $3.00.
Tomatoes
Many fresh fruits and vegetables have suffered less from inflation over the past year, and tomatoes happen to be one of the items you might want to consider adding to your grocery list.
What we've noticed at RFD:
If we reach back as far as 2017, we were seeing tomatoes go on sale for as low as $0.88/lb. In 2021 and 2022, we've seen tomatoes go on sale for $0.99/lb (they are on sale for this price at Sobeys starting June 23), but more often they are hovering between $1.29 and $1.99/lb.
If you're looking to ease some of your grocery costs, be sure to check out the RedFlagDeals.com Hot Deals forum for tips, as well as our flyer section!
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Note that many of these historical prices were for stores in Ontario and may vary by province.
Sources & Further Reading:
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