Roast turkey with all the trimmings. Braised brisket with carrots and onions. Juicy roast. Holiday lasagna?
WITH food prices are risingmeat in particular, some people may be planning a Christmas dinner that will look a little different this season.
CBC News recently asked readers: How they're cutting costs this holiday season. Several people said they were skipping the big traditional lunch this year, opting for dinner or serving something different, such as lasagna or tourtière.
Others said they had changed their shopping habits. Al Joseph, 63, of Toronto, said he and his wife are buying less food overall, especially meat, and are using the Flipp app to find sales. He said he suspects they'll be buying a lot of holiday food from Costco this year.
“People can do a lot, but it has become very difficult to afford even the simplest things,” Joseph told CBC News.
Michelle Blackwood, 57, also from Toronto, said she is completely giving up grocery shopping until the new year. And instead of cooking, she spends her entire holiday budget on taking her family out for Christmas dinner at an inexpensive fixed menu restaurant.
Her goal is to retire debt-free within eight years, so it's critical she sticks to a budget, Blackwood said.
“Since I work part-time in catering, I will take a lot of leftovers home. from the holiday events I'll be working at, supplemented by whatever I have in my freezer and pantry,” Blackwood told CBC News.
“Food is at the bottom of the priority list.”
Food prices in Canada could rise by four to six percent next year, driven largely by higher-priced meat products, according to a forecast by researchers at Dalhousie University. Beef in particular is expected to rise in price, potentially rising by seven per cent, the team behind the Canadian food price report said.
Polls suggest shift
Several new studies show that many Canadians struggling with grocery bills and that some of them are increasingly open to moving away from classic holiday menu.
Four in 10 Canadians surveyed in the last week of November say they are struggling to put food on the table, according to a survey. study published Wednesday Angus Reid Institute. For households with the lowest incomes, it was about six in 10.
Belonging Of the 4,025 adult Canadians surveyed, a majority, or 59 percent, named the cost of living as the top issue facing Canada.
“Food prices remain a key concern for Canadians and policymakers alike,” the Angus Reid Institute wrote in its report.
Meanwhile, according to a study published on November 19 Harris Poll, CanadaMany Canadians are changing the way they approach holiday dining.
For example, from 1,360 randomly selected Canadian adults said they participate in holiday dinners, 35 per cent said they could do without turkey, 42 per cent said stuffing was optional and 69 per cent said ham was optional.
“Traditional dishes continue to play an important role, but expectations are no longer the same,” the report notes.
“You can make lasagna”
There's a common theme in many online nutrition and budgeting forums these days: people looking for inexpensive foods. holiday food options as they move away from their usual dishes. And there is a general answer: lasagna.
“We usually splurge on the ribs and sides, which I cook for six people on Christmas Eve. This year, judging by the price of ribs, that's just not going to happen,” someone wrote on the page Humble Subreddit last week, asked for other ideas.
“We always make lasagna,” someone suggested.
IN Budget Food Subredditanother person wrote that the usual Czech dish is fried meat with carrot sauce and dumplings.
“But currently the roast itself, without any additives, costs over $80,” the person added. “Turkey is expensive too! I can’t think of a single main dish that is affordable, delicious and still fills a lot of people’s stomachs.”
“We could make lasagna,” another person commented.
Food prices grew at a slower pace in October, according to the most recent Consumer Price Index data from Statistics Canadawhich helped reduce the overall inflation rate. But prices are still raised and have been outpacing general inflation nine months in a row.
Food prices rose 3.4 percent in October from a year earlier, while meat prices jumped 8.4 percent. Fresh or frozen beef was hit the hardest with a 16.8% increase, but poultry, pork and ham prices also increased.
On the other hand, the price of dry or fresh pasta fell 2.2 percent, while the price of mozzarella cheese changed just 0.1 percent year over year.
Vancouver-based non-profit organization More Than a Roof Foundation is committed to helping those struggling to put food on the table this holiday season. But this year the company says its own food budget has increased by tens of thousands of dollars. The fund's chief executive, Scott Campbell, spoke with CBC's Dan Burritt about the challenges facing rising inflation.
Prices in Turkey remain stable
Turkey, by some tradition the star of the show, saw prices fall 0.9% in October compared with last year, making it slightly more affordable.
In a statement to CBC News, Canadian turkey farmers said that while it is too early for turkey promotions, prices in Canada so far are very similar to last year. Whole turkey prices range from $0.99 to $3.33 per pound, with an average price of $2.29 per pound in early December, according to the group.
However, as many lasagna fans on Reddit have pointed out, serving a 12-pound bird with all the trimmings is much more expensive than baking frozen pasta in the oven.
That's why, when it comes to holiday spending decisions, looking only at food prices can be misleading, says Mike von Massow, a food economist at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ont.
“Even though the staple traditional Christmas food may not be significantly more expensive than it was a year ago, people can still make choices because everything has become more expensive,” he told CBC News.
When on a budget, some people may prioritize gifts or travel expenses over turkey, von Massow said.
“People make different choices and say, well, it's more important that we come together, and so lasagne or tourtière will give us the same experience.”
