According to new data, September saw prices for multiple staples increase significantly — with much of the blame being placed on counter-tariffs — which, if they persist, will push overall inflation up by 0.3% by spring 2027.The data released by the Food Professor, or Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, an agri-food professor who operates an agri-food lab out of Dalhousie University, states between August and September many necessities, some mentioned below, have increased in the very short time period:These include one product which noted the highest price increase, strawberries, increasing by 8.6% in a month.Second on the list is chicken breast, increasing by 5% — with Charlebois pointing to wholesale poultry products going up overall."Both chicken breasts and thighs rank among the ten fastest-rising food products," he pointed out on X.."When multiple cuts rise simultaneously, it suggests broader pressure from wholesale poultry costs—not simply an isolated retail adjustment."Chicken thighs have gone up 2.4% this month alone, and other meat products are up there with it — bacon up 3.9%, partly due to meat packaging costs rising and lean ground beef at 1.9%, with overall wholesale prices of beef going up. A guilty pleasure for many, vanilla ice cream has gone up a significant amount — at 3.9%, due to many products which comprise it, including sugar and dairy, being apart of the counter-tariffs."Counter-tariffs and recycling fees pushing up packaging costs in Canada, and those costs are starting to weigh on food prices in September," stated Charlebois as the reason behind the price jump. .In an article on his Substack, Charlebois explains in more detail why, partly, this is so — because Canadian food companies are "being squeezed twice" via tariffs and counter-tariffs."...through reduced export access and higher costs for imported ingredients, packaging and equipment."And of course this cost is passed to consumers, increasing the amount paid at the grocery store. "Processors may absorb some of those costs temporarily, but food-manufacturing margins are generally too thin to absorb permanent increases," writes Charlebois.."Companies will renegotiate, reformulate, change suppliers, reduce investment or raise prices. None of those adjustments are free."His lab also predicts, by spring of 2027, if counter-tariffs are upheld by the feds, overall food inflation is expected to rise roughly 0.3%.Earlier in September, "dollar for dollar" tariffs were placed on a significant portion of US goods in response to the US placing 50% tariffs on $27.6 billion in Canadian goods in late August.The tariffs ranged from 15%, 25%, and 50%, depending on the product, which included but were not limited to dairy, different kinds of machinery, sweeteners, lumber, etc.
