The price of food bought from stores in Canada again rose faster than headline inflation last month, government data shows.
According to a breakdown of Canada’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures for May, the inflation metric for food purchased from stores rose 4.3% year over year in May, up from 3.8% in April
It was the 16th consecutive month the metric had outpaced headline inflation on a year-over-year basis, the Canadian government said. Last week, the country’s Competition Bureau announced plans to review competition across the country’s food-and-drinks supply chain. It cited a “sharp” rise in food prices in Canada in recent years that had “put significant pressure” on consumers.
Higher prices for fresh fruit and fresh vegetables contributed to the acceleration in May. Prices for fresh fruit rose 5.3% year-on-year last month, versus a 0.5% fall in April. The step-up in prices was mostly driven by berries and grapes, the data showed.