From: brewnoser2@gmail.com   
      
   This article explains why some of our food costs are going up... up... up even   
   as we sign one 'free trade' deal after another.  We need to get busy closing   
   our borders and getting to work - literally - by growing our own produce and   
   selling it to    
   Canadians, not foreigners.   
      
   Take the issue of gas prices at the pump for Canadians:  Albertan are paying   
   $.88 to $.90/litre.  The rest of Canada is paying anywhere from $1.10 to   
   1.24/litre.   
   Why?   
   Because the oil industry know to keep the province its doing its exploitative   
   business in, happy.  The rest of Canada is being used for making their   
   profits.     
      
   We must learn to grow, make and consume our own products . . .  The Americans   
   are turning their economy around by using the 'Buy American' strategy.  Time   
   Canada started using the 'Buy Canadian' strategy - not the 'import everything   
   and export our jobs    
   to them' strategy.   
   _________________________________________________   
   CBC News Posted: Dec 10, 2015   
      
   7 foods that will cost you more in 2016 and why   
   Lower loonie pushes up prices, while consumers look for alternatives to   
   expensive meat   
      
   Does it seem like food is costing more every time you make a trip to the   
   grocery store?  A study released Thursday says you'd be right to think your   
   grocery bill is rising -- and you should expect more of the same in 2016.   
      
   A research team led by Sylvain Charlebois of the University of Guelph Food   
   Institute forecasts that food inflation rates will be two to four per cent in   
   2016, much higher than the overall inflation rate as measured by Statistics   
   Canada's consumer price    
   index.     
      
   That's after a year in which the cost of meat, vegetables, fruit and nuts   
   jumped more than anticipated, pushing up your food bill by 4.1 per cent in   
   2015.   
      
       'Canada is the only industrialized country where you find the food   
   inflation rate to be above 2.5%.'      - Sylvain Charlebois, University of   
   Guelph   
      
   The main driver is the value of the loonie, which has fallen 14 per cent to   
   just above 73 cents US. With 81 per cent of vegetables, fruit and nuts   
   imported from outside of Canada, all of these grocery items are more expensive   
   and are set to become even    
   pricier as the loonie falls further.   
      
   Some analysts believe the Canadian dollar will fall to 70 cents US after the   
   U.S. raises interest rates.   
      
   Here's what the Food Institute study says to expect in 2016:   
      
   Food price inflation %   
      
   Category                       2016 price increase   
   Meats                         2.5-4.5%   
   Fish and seafood     1-3%   
   Dairy and eggs         0-2%   
   Grains                         0.2%   
   Fruits and nuts        2.5-4.5%   
   Vegetables                2-4%   
   Overall food costs   2-4%   
      
   Charlebois says the average Canadian household will spend $8,631 on food in   
   2016, an increase of about $345.  That figure includes $2,416 spent at   
   restaurants.   
      
   "Canada is the only industrialized country where you find the food inflation   
   rate to be above 2.5 per cent.  That's significant.  Right now we are sitting   
   at 4.1 per cent," Charlebois told CBC News.   
      
   "Europe food inflation's barely at one per cent.  There's too much food in the   
   market.   
   The U.S. inflation rate is much lower than ours.  The currency clearly is not   
   helping families that are in need of affordable foods."   
      
   He said Canada has become more vulnerable to currency swings and inflation,   
   because it has allowed food processing in the country to be moved offshore.   
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   That's one reason we are paying more for pasta and bread, even though Canada   
   produces the wheat.   
      
   Charlebois said the high prices are hardest on low-income Canadians and people   
   in remote communities, who often have difficulty affording fresh food.   
      
   "We need to figure out a way to offer affordable foods to northern   
   communities," he said.   
      
      
   Climate change and El Nino   
      
   Another factor that could affect food prices is climate change, according to   
   the Food Institute study.   
      
   The drought in California has pushed up fruit and vegetable prices in 2015,   
   but in 2016 a big El Nino should mean a lot of rain that will restore crops in   
   the U.S. southwest and could help keep prices down.  El Nino is a Pacific   
   current that affects    
   weather pattern.   
      
   Charlebois is watching several consumer trends that could have an effect on   
   food production in the coming year, among them the trend to local food and a   
   concern about animal welfare and more emphasis on protein alternatives.   
      
   Meat prices rose so rapidly over the past two years that consumers have   
   shifted to alternatives, including pulses such as lentils and chickpeas.   
      
   "People are looking for local products ...," he said.  They're concerned about   
   the ethical treatment of animals, the ingredients, the naturalization of food."   
      
   Charlebois pointed to decisions by companies such as Kraft and General Mills   
   to put more natural ingredients in food and be more transparent about how   
   ingredients are sourced.   
      
   "Throw  in a lot of different things that may drive prices -- like McDonald's   
   this year to go cage-free cured chicken without antibiotics -- all these   
   things will only drive prices higher," he said.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)