Why Are Groceries So Expensive In Canada？
Episode Stats
Words per minute
168.0572
Summary
Grocery prices have gone up 30% since 2019, according to a report by TD Economics. Today, I'm going to explain why prices are so darn expensive, and why we need more competition in the grocery market.
Transcript
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Now, if you're one of the many Canadians that buys groceries for either themselves or their families,
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you've probably noticed that the prices have gone out of control lately.
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Grocery prices are up 30% since 2019, according to a report by TD Economics.
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So no, it's not just you. This isn't just something in your head.
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This is a very real concern, and a lot of Canadians are complaining about this.
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Today I'm going to explain why groceries are so darn expensive.
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Now, we've been told the reason groceries are so expensive is because of inflation.
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During the pandemic, factories closed down, and a lot of people were forced to stay home.
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Other factors like the war in Ukraine also contributed to inflation
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by causing a reduction in the supply of energy products, fertilizers, and grains.
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Now, inflation explains why prices went up in the first place,
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but it doesn't explain why prices are still high.
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One of the reasons prices have remained so high is simply because people continue to pay them.
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It's something people need to survive, and people continue to buy food even though it's more expensive.
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And you may not know this, but there's not a lot of competition in the Canadian grocery market.
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Five companies completely dominate the grocery market in Canada.
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Loblaws, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart, and Costco dominate the grocery market in this country,
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responsible for 75 of all food sales in Canada.
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So due to the lack of competition in the grocery market,
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and the fact that people are still willing to pay the higher prices,
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means that these companies have little incentive to lower their prices and reduce their profits.
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So until there's more competition in the grocery market,
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we're going to be stuck with these higher prices.