Higher grocery prices are expected to hit stores across
Last fall,
The lifting of price freezes comes amid growing consumer outrage over soaring grocery prices and increasing scrutiny of grocers' record profits.
But grocery chains have argued their food margins have remained flat and they are simply passing along higher supplier prices.
"Food inflation has continued and the cost to stock our shelves has gone up, month after month," Loblaw spokeswoman
The company, which operates multiple banners including Zehrs,
The head of Metro said recently the
"We can't predict future inflation as many vendor requests for price increases continue to come in, and the root causes outside of our control are still present," Metro CEO
Still, at least one grocer in another country has opted to extend a moratorium on price increases.
In
"They said it's to help Australians get through this food price inflation," said
"They've picked some basic items, not unlike the No Name price freeze, but maybe a step further and extended it."
It's unclear just how much food prices in
Factors such as the war in
"There are a lot of unpredictable factors but there is some room for optimism," he said.
While grocery prices rose 11 per cent year over year in December, Massow pointed out that the month-over-month increase was 0.3 per cent — roughly 3.5 per cent on an annualized basis.
"It's still high but there are some early signs that relief could be coming," he said.
Also, as spring approaches and
As for the growing consumer backlash against grocers, he said it's not surprising — even if the frustration is misplaced.
"The grocers are making record profits and yet some people are struggling to eat ... I can understand people's anger," Massow said.
But higher grocer profits are due to a host of factors, including Canadians cooking more at home to save money and higher sales of non-food items with stronger margins, he said.
"Everyone's looking for a simple answer to this problem and unfortunately, there isn't one," Massow said. "Could the grocery stores be doing a better job of managing these perceptions? Yes. Are those perceptions fair? Probably not."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published
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