Food Professor Questions StatsCan Inflation Reporting

Oct 04, 2021

A food professor at Dalhousie University says for a few years now, many Canadians suspected that Statistics Canada was either underestimating the food inflation rate, or that there was some sort of lag between what was going on at the grocery store versus what was reported.

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is Senior Director at the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.

"We are now working with a company which mines data on the web, looks at flyers all across the country on a daily basis and we do see major differences between what StatsCan is suggesting when it comes to higher food prices versus what BetterCart is actually suggesting at retail. It's really concerning, some staples like pasta, for example, butter, other staples, we're seeing some major differences."

He commented on the impact of the discrepancies.

"A lot of collective agreements, a lot of salaries are often negotiated based on the CPI. If you go to the grocery store, it's costing you way more than what the CPI is suggesting. That's certainly a real problem for a lot of families."

He notes the reality doesn’t really reflect what consumers are experiencing at the grocery store, adding that could hurt the federal agency’s reputation over time.

Click here to see more...

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.