CALGARY — Among the provinces particularly feeling the burden of food inflation, western provinces took the brunt of it, with Alberta and BC leading grocery price inflation at 3.5% in August compared to a year earlier.This is according to new data from Statistics Canada, revealing overall food inflation slowed to 2.8%, down from 3.1% a month earlier.Though grocery prices are 29% higher than they were in August 2021.According to the Food Professor, or Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, an agri-food professor who operates an agri-food lab out of Dalhousie University, this is the first time since July 2024 that food inflation has been below general inflation, currently at 3%..However, Canada's food inflation is still surpassing the US' food inflation, which was at 2.7% year-over-year in August.Saskatchewan experienced a 3.4% rise in its food inflation, while Ontario and Manitoba trailed behind at 2.7%.A bit less, Quebec experienced a 2.3% food inflation increase measured against this time a year earlier.Atlantic Canada's New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador were both below average, experiencing a 1.8% increase and 1.6% increase respectively..Last were Nova Scotia at 1.6% and Prince Edward Island at 0.7% year-over-year.Topping the list of foods with the greatest inflation rates was beef, which had an 11% increase in its prices since last year.The Alberta Beef Producers told the Western Standard that in July, beef prices rose 54.5% since July 2020. The second highest food inflation rates were attributed to sugar and confectionery products, at a 5.8% inflation rate compared to August last year.Eggs are one of a few products which actually saw a decrease in price, by 2.4% compared to August 2025, as well as nuts and seeds decreasing by 3.4%.Charlebois also noted on X that, as of August, Canada had the second-highest food inflation in the G7 behind Japan.
