Vancouver Island facing highest monthly cost for nutritious food in B.C.
Everyone is experiencing sticker shock at the grocery store these days, and a new report is putting a dollar figure on how much it’s costing families, per month, to eat healthy.
A new report from the BC Centre for Disease Control outlined how much it costs a family of four to maintain a healthy, balanced diet per month in the province.
Data from May 2022 showed it cost the average B.C. family $1,263 a month.
On Vancouver Island, we’re paying more, $1,366 per month.
Cindy Taylor does all the grocery shopping for her family of four on Vancouver Island and says every trip to the store brings the same reaction.
"Shocked. And it’s kind of like I do the double take, like is that the price for this item?" said Taylor.
Buying healthy for her family has become a challenge.
"It’s a constant battle in my mind at the grocery store. Do I save money or do I buy healthy?" said Taylor.
Economists blame shipping and transportation costs for the grocery price increases.
"The foods that are represented are fruits and vegetables, whole grains, proteins and some unsaturated fats," said Charmaine Enns, Vancouver Island medical health officer.
Enns says the high prices are hitting the island’s most vulnerable the hardest.
"The single parent families, households where someone is on disability, lower income households," she said.
The higher costs are leaving them to make some tough decisions that ultimately will effect their overall health.
"On where their money goes, and often it’s not to nutritious food," said Enns.
Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agra-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, says the question he gets the most is when will food prices come down.
"It’s something we feared last year and it’s happening," he said. "It is not going to happen and so there is a new normal out there."
He recommends shopping around, purchasing produce that is in season or searching out cheaper store brands that could save you a few dollars on your final bill.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.