Warm, dry weather to increase food prices in 2018: expert

The warm, dry weather isn’t just causing disasters like wildfires, according to the latest Canada’s Food Price Report, it’s also responsible for hiking prices up by three per cent in the new year.

Sylvain Charlebois, lead author of the report, said the El Niño year is hitting vegetable growers especially hard.

“(Canada imports) a lot of (vegetables) from the United States and regionally a lot of places in the States will be affected by drought,” Charlebois explained.

He added that the average family will likely spend $350 extra on food next year, and consumers will likely feel the price jump more at restaurants.

Charlebois noted that $210 of that price increase is coming from the food service industry.

“So restaurants — everything we eat outside the home,” he said. “If you stick around your own kitchen, you should save some money. But if you can’t, expect to pay more.”

Charlebois said the average Canadian family will likely spend around $12,000 on food in 2018.

—With files from the 980 CJME Morning Show