Food Too Expensive To Eat Well?

Healthy eating is too expensive for almost half of Canadians according to a new report by The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation.

When the organisation went shopping for the same basket of goods across the country it discovered wide disparities in the cost of what is considered everyday healthy food.

Six apples ranged from $1.71 in Edmonton to $5.02 in Calgary. In Ontario, where apples are grown regionally, the cost varied from 90 cents in Peterborough to $5.49 in Dryden. A 2.7 kg bag of potatoes ranged from $1.50 in Toronto to $2.15 in Whitehorse, YT to $6.95 in Yellowknife, NWT. And a bag of brown rice ranged from $2.19 in Toronto to $7.76 in Winnipeg to $11.99 in Rankin Inlet.

Here's the methodology the CHSF used:

"In October, 2008 the Heart and Stroke Foundation recruited volunteer shoppers in 66 communities nationwide to purchase a list of food based on Health Canada’s National Nutritious Food Basket. This basket was originally created as a measure of food security – a term referring to the availability of healthy food and one’s access to it. The Foundation adapted the food basket for this study to feed a family of four for one week. To ensure consistency, the leading national brands by dollar share on a 52-week average were chosen according to AC Nielsen data. Shoppers were asked to choose a national or regional grocery chain in their community that was not considered a discount grocery store. All shopping was conducted between October 15 and 25, 2008. This first-ever cross-country shop revealed some dramatic variations in the price of basic healthy food from milk and lean ground beef to apples and potatoes."

Here are the results for the nearest Vancouver data point Delta (or "Southern Vancouver" as they call it) compared against the average price of goods:

MILK, 1 %, 4 L $3.49 $5.26
Cheddar Cheese, Medium, 520g $8.66 $9.15
Whole Wheat Pasta, 900 g $5.45 $5.48
Brown Rice, 1 kg $5.91 $4.99
Potatoes, 5 lb bag $4.34 $4.25
Apples, Macintosh, 6 Medium $3.25 $3.50
Lean Ground Beef, 1 kg $7.58 $7.18
Peanut Butter, 1 kg $4.27 $5.27

I probably pay a good deal less in my East Vancouver neighbourhood than even this Delta study by going to all the small local grocery stores.

I've found the supermarket chains - which were the focus of the study - are almost always more expensive.

For example, a pack of organic cereal costs $5.99 in one of my local, mom 'n' pop grocery stores and exactly the same product is $9.99 in the local supermarket.

The fruit and veg in supermarkets regularly have a mark-up of 30% over and above fruit and veg in the local stores.

So prices vary widely nationally, but they also vary widely even between grocery stores. You can cut down on your grocery list and still eat healthily by hunting around a bit more for the best prices.