Pinoys in Canada Tighten Belts as Food Prices Soar
Rowena Papasin, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau
Posted at 02/03/16 5:37 PM
VANCOUVER, B.C. – Filipino-Canadians are feeling the pinch as costs of food soar all over Canada.
Kay Market is a favorite go to of most Filipinos in Vancouver when they want fresh Pinoy vegetables and produce and other Filipino products.
But recently, prices of goods in the store have gone up.
Because of the weak Canadian dollar, it has become more expensive to import fruits and vegetables from the US, Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam.
“Lahat from frozen like longganisa, isda hanggang sa mga de lata, corned beef, lahat. Basta ba perishable tumaas. Ang green onion lang that is only 69 cents, ngayon 2.59,” said Evelyn Alayon, cashier at Kay Market.
Data from Statistics Canada show that overall food prices have gone up by 3.7 percent in all Canadian provinces last December, compared to the same period last year.
Store-bought food posted an increase of 4.1 percent. The highest prices were seen in British Columbia.
At Kay Market, prices have increased by 60 to 85 percent so much so that customers have complained about their shrinking budget for food.
Aside from fruits and vegetables, meat prices in Canada have also increased since last year and the trend is expected to continue until the end of 2016.