Achi news desk-
Almost two-thirds of Canadians feel that grocery inflation is getting worse, a new poll suggests, even as food inflation has been cooling steadily.
A new survey by Leger found that almost 30 per cent of Canadians believe food inflation has been caused mainly by grocery stores trying to increase profit margins. A further 26 per cent think it is mainly due to global economic factors, while one in five blame the federal government
Food inflation was 1.4 per cent in April which helped drive overall inflation lower to 2.7 per cent, Statistics Canada said.
However, even low inflation still means prices are rising. And over the last three years, food prices have risen by 21.4 percent, according to the agency.
The big grocers have said they did not benefit too much from inflation, amid political and public pressure over the rising costs of food and other necessities.
A group of consumers organized a boycott of Loblaw-owned stores in May due to frustrations with higher prices and industry concentration.
Seven in 10 Canadians polled said they were aware of the ongoing boycott, and 58 per cent said they supported it, but only 18 per cent said they or someone in their household had joined with the boycott.
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The poll highlights the different views of rural and urban residents on the boycott, and suggests that it is more difficult for those living outside an urban area to participate in a boycott of grocery stores that owned by Loblaw.
Urban residents questioned by Leger were more likely to say they supported the boycott than suburban and rural residents, and more likely to be participating in it as well.
About half of Canadians say it seems unfair that the boycott is only targeting Loblaw, and nearly two-thirds of respondents do not believe the boycott will affect food prices. Urban residents were more likely to say they think the boycott will help lower prices, with nearly three-quarters of rural Canadians surveyed saying they believe the boycott will not affect prices.
For those participating in the boycott, 40 percent say they turn to a “big box grocery store” like Costco or Walmart, 31 percent say they turn to another national grocery chain like Sobeys or Save on Foods, and 23 percent said they shop at a local independent grocery store.
Rural boycott participants were more likely to shop at an independent store than participants in urban and suburban areas.
Leger surveyed 1,519 Canadians between May 17 and May 19, asking about grocery inflation, the Loblaw boycott and grocer profits. Online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
