Study: Does Eating Quebec Food Cost More?

This new study from Dalhousie University, conducted on behalf of Aliments du Québec, reveals that in 55.6% of the categories studied, the local product was either just as competitive (neutral price difference) or more competitive than products from elsewhere.

To answer the question “Does eating Quebec food cost more?” and in a context of inflation and rising living costs, Aliments du Québec sought to determine whether purchasing local food could offer a viable option for Quebecers looking to reduce their grocery bill.

“The results of this second edition of the study support previous observations that many everyday consumer products made here or from here are sold at competitive prices, in the majority of product categories examined. The findings of both reports demonstrate that local product prices are competitive,” explains Isabelle Roy, Executive Director of Aliments du Québec.

Conducted in Quebec in September and October 2022, under the direction of Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Scientific Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, the study aimed to determine whether local products were competitive when compared to products from elsewhere. More than half (1/2) of the local food product categories studied (55.6%) were as advantageous, if not more so, than products from elsewhere.

This is the case for the following local products, listed according to seven sections:

• Grocery: beverages (juice, coffee, water, kombucha), granola bar, cake, jam, peanut butter, flour, pancake mix, barbecue sauce, chips and oil.
• Dairy and alternatives: cheese, yogurt, ice cream and sorbet, margarine and plant-based beverage.
• Meat and fish: sausage and fish.
• Fruits and vegetables: fruit (dried cranberries) and vegetables (potatoes, regular carrots, lettuce).
• Bakery: bagel.
• Deli: bruschetta and fresh pasta.
• Frozen: prepared meals [2].

Good news for consumers and for Quebec’s entire agri-food sector!

“The results of our analysis show that out of a total of 45 identified categories, 25 product categories demonstrated either an advantage for the local product or price neutrality. Although this percentage is lower than in the previous study, the majority of local food prices examined remained competitive with prices of products from elsewhere, and sometimes even more advantageous, despite the inflationary context that has been prevailing for some time,” states Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Scientific Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.

About the study: Does Eating Quebec Food Cost More?

Seven major food sections were examined, comprising 45 product categories. More than 100 local products and 336 comparable products from elsewhere were studied, totaling 198,190 distinct price data points analyzed. The local products selected by the LSAA team were reviewed by Aliments du Québec to ensure that most people residing in Quebec would be able to purchase them and that they were products whose main production, processing, and packaging activities were carried out in Quebec, with a valid Quebec Enterprise Number (NEQ). Once the products were selected, point-in-time price data were recorded for each of the selected Quebec products as well as for their comparable products, on six separate dates: September 23 and 30, and October 7, 14, 21, and 28, 2022. Prices were collected from five food retailers: IGA, Maxi, Metro, Provigo, and Walmart.

For each of the 48 categories, local products verified by Aliments du Québec as well as at least two similar non-local products were selected using artificial intelligence machine learning techniques.

[1] Study commissioned by Aliments du Québec. Report: Does Eating Quebec Food Cost More? Second edition of the comparative study between the price of Quebec foods and those from elsewhere, May 2023, Dalhousie University.

[2] Chicken wings and pizza