Lot of climate change gobbledy gook, but bad El Nino season predicted plus oil shock plus CAD sinking equals ever rising food bills. Eat bugs, or take the pharma shots that make you not want to eat.Food prices have risen significantly faster than other prices over the past decade, both in Canada and elsewhere. Monday’s inflation numbers showed that prices of food purchased in stores rose by 4.3 per cent over the past year, compared with 3.1 per cent for nonfood items. A confluence of pressures is creating a perfect storm for further rapid price hikes.
More recently, prolonged drought in western North America has resulted in cattle herds being reduced to their lowest numbers in decades, contributing to double-digit increases in beef prices – 77 per cent for striploin over the past two years.
Because El Niño is a worldwide phenomenon, it can be expected to affect prices of imported as well as domestically produced food. About 50 per cent of vegetables and 75 per cent of fruits consumed in Canada are imported, half from the U.S., largely California. California has been experiencing drought or abnormally dry conditions for several years, which could well be exacerbated by higher temperatures, affecting crop yields. Central America, another key source of Canadian fruit imports, is currently assessed by the FAO as at high risk of agricultural drought because of El Niño. And significant declines in rice production are anticipated in parts of Asia.
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