Winnipeg Free Press: Sticker shock Grocery prices soar, and province’s lack of regional price-tracking not helping

How much do groceries cost in Manitoba? It’s hard to say.

Unlike many other provinces, Manitoba doesn’t regularly collect data about the price of food across regions. That’s a missed opportunity, says Joyce Slater, a professor of community and public health nutrition at the University of Manitoba.

“It’s just considered part of good governance to have this kind of information available at the provincial and regional level,” Slater says.

“Food is a big part of most people’s budgets.”

Elsewhere, average food costs are tracked through the nutritious food basket framework, a survey tool developed by Health Canada, and used nationally and regionally to monitor the cost and affordability of healthy eating over time.

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