Food prices, rising 21.4 per cent in the past three years according to Statistics Canada, have hit a lot of Canadians hard.Bet_Noire/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
Everyone has different priorities at the grocery store, but at the top of most Canadians’ lists lately is finding a balance of healthy food at a reasonable cost.
Food access and affordability issues have made navigating a trip to the supermarket more complicated. Food prices, rising 21.4 per cent in the past three years according to Statistics Canada, have hit a lot of Canadians hard, and they’re expected to rise another 2.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent this year. Almost two-thirds of Canadians say they have switched their primary grocery store in the past year to score better deals, a survey by Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab found in February.
In addition to cost, individual considerations of health, nutrition, cultural background, or simply eating what makes one happy also come into play.
The Globe wants to know what these decisions look like for you. For the new series What’s In My Cart? we’re asking people across the country how they stock their kitchens. To share your thoughts, answer below or email realechin@gmail.com.
How do you grocery shop?
Tell us about yourself: From your lifestyle, to your job or health issues, what makes the biggest difference in the way you shop for food? How do you save on groceries, and what is worth splurging on? Have you changed your diet recently? What’s the eating habit that’s hardest to keep up? Which five items are always on your grocery list?