Food prices will increase slightly in Canada in 2015, due in part to climate change and a growing demand for meat protein around the world, according to a report from the University of Guelph.
Overall food prices in Canada should go up between 0.3 and 2.4 per cent. That compares to a projected inflation rate of 1.8 per cent.
Nearly half of the country’s food is imported, notes the report, adding the lower value of the Canadian dollar will help push food prices higher.
Droughts in California led to an increase in the price of vegetables in 2014, since that state is a key source of vegetables in winter. Meat prices jumped 12.4 per cent last year due to higher slaughter fees for cattle and diseases that affected pigs.
Next year, meat prices are expected to rise between three and five per cent, as are prices for vegetables.
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