ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Cost of dairy to rise again across Canada, but relief could be on the way: expert

Share

The cost of dairy is set to rise again across Canada, but one food policy expert says there may be relief on the horizon if other food prices stabilize before the end of the year.

The Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC) has approved a rare second milk price increase this year after allowing the price of milk to increase by 8.4 per cent, or six cents per litre, in February. On Sept. 1, farmers will charge an , or two cents per litre, for milk. 

The price hike comes as dairy farmers are dealing with their own increased production costs, said Sylvain Charlebois, a professor of food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University.

"Basically, what is argued by the dairy farmers is it's costing more to produce milk, which is true," Charlebois told CTV’s Your Morning on Friday. "So the Canadian Dairy Commission basically accepted an increase, and that increase will be accepted by all the boards across the country… So farmers will get more money as of Sept. 1, but for all of us, it means that milk prices and dairy product prices will all go up yet again."

Charlebois said consumers will likely see an even greater increase on their grocery bills, based on how the previous 8.4 per cent increase affected consumers.

"Fluid milk has gone up about 25 per cent since January," Charlebois said. "The 8.4 per cent at the farm really equates to a 25 per cent retail, so you can imagine what may happen with 2.5 per cent in the fall."

In addition to the farm gate milk increase, dairy processing companies appear to be applying their own price hikes to milk, contributing to a higher overall increase at grocery stores.

In a letter to its customers, Lactalis Canada said it must implement an average national market increase of five per cent this September in response to the CDC pricing increase and "significant inflationary costs.†Arla Foods Canada issued a similar notice, saying price increases on its products coming this September reflect higher milk ingredient costs and the "inflationary impacts across freight and packaging." 

The price of food purchased at grocery stores year-over-year in May as the cost of nearly everything in shopping carts increased, Statistics Canada said last month. Some consumers squeezed by inflation have resorted to eating less, according to . Last month, the agency released data that suggests nearly one in four Canadians are "eating less than they believe they should" because of inflation. 

But even as milk prices are set to increase again, Charlebois said relief could be on the way for Canadians hurt by food inflation. Charlebois expects to see food prices rise a little further before dropping again.

"Food inflation may have peaked in Canada. So food prices will continue to rise, but not at the same pace. Things will likely slow down now," Charlebois said. "We're hoping the latter part of 2022 is going to be kinder to consumers on a tight budget than what we saw already in 2022."

With files from The Canadian Press 

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

Stay Connected