After more than a year of high food inflation, families gathering this weekend to gobble Thanksgiving dinner may be feeling the pinch after their grocery shopping.

Statistics Canada reported last month that prices for food purchased from stores rose 6.9 per cent in August, down from an 8.5 per cent increase in July but still well above the monthB次元官网网址檚 headline inflation rate of four per cent.

B次元官网网址淧rices havenB次元官网网址檛 went down, so youB次元官网网址檙e going to continue to see to see fairly large sticker shock on items and itB次元官网网址檚 making consumers re-think the traditional Thanksgiving meal,B次元官网网址� said retail analyst Bruce Winder.

B次元官网网址淪ome people are going to look at alternatives: is there a cheaper alternative that you can use to cook instead of maybe a turkey? Or do you maybe hold back on the big family gathering a little bit more? Do you make more and buy less from stores?B次元官网网址�

Last year, the price of a kilogram of fresh turkey was about $6.59, or $42.84 for a 6.5-kilogram bird, according to the Agri-Food Analytics Lab.

A survey of weekly flyers from major grocery chains in the leadup to Thanksgiving shows some stores have seen a markup for the same product. At Metro, a fresh turkey cost $9.90 per kilogram, while at Sobeys, the price was listed at $7.69.

However, LoblawsB次元官网网址� flyer for the week showed the price of a kilogram of fresh turkey was $5.49.

B次元官网网址淧eople arenB次元官网网址檛 going to eliminate the dinner altogether, thatB次元官网网址檚 too drastic,B次元官网网址� said Winder, noting many consumers B次元官网网址渁re really up against the wallB次元官网网址� with the prices of gas and housing remaining high.

B次元官网网址淏ut theyB次元官网网址檒l look for creative ways (to save). Maybe they do a little more potluck things this year.B次元官网网址�

Other items typically on the Thanksgiving menu have also seen year-over-year price increases.

As of August, the retail price per kilogram of potatoes was up 6.8 per cent, while butter has seen a 9.2 per cent jump, according to Statistics Canada. Brown rice was about 6.3 per cent more expensive than last year.

But thereB次元官网网址檚 reason to be optimistic, said economist Mike von Massow of the University of GuelphB次元官网网址檚 Ontario Agricultural College, who noted that although food prices are higher than last year, they have started to move in the right direction.

He added that many foods that typically find their way to the Thanksgiving dinner plate are also now in season, so month-over-month price changes should be more favourable for consumers.

B次元官网网址淥ne of the reasons we have Thanksgiving at this time of year is to celebrate and give thanks for the harvest,B次元官网网址� von Massow said.

B次元官网网址淏ecause we are in harvest time of year, if you look at mashed potatoes, if you look at apples and apple pie, if you look at pumpkins, and pumpkin pie, all of those are now available locally and in abundance. So we would expect, even in an inflationary time, that prices would come down at this time of year.B次元官网网址�

Looking past the holiday, von Massow said it would be beneficial for Canadian shoppers to be open to changes in their typical food purchases if they want to spend less.

B次元官网网址淐anadians are very much creatures of habit. If broccoli was in my basket last week, itB次元官网网址檚 likely to be in my basket this week,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淲hile it may not help you this weekend for Thanksgiving, thinking about things like stored vegetables, which are produced in Canada B次元官网网址� carrots, beets and some of those root vegetables B次元官网网址� will give you an opportunity to save money, because youB次元官网网址檙e not buying the fresh stuff thatB次元官网网址檚 coming in from the U.S.

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press

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