The Farmers' Share - From Grocery Store back to the Farm Gate
August 26, 2008
Regina - Saskatchewan residents are getting back to school, back to work, and back into grocery stores to re-establish their regular meal routines. We’re all talking more about the price of food, and the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) and Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) of Manitoba want people to know how much of their grocery cart bill goes back to the farms that have produced it.
“Canadian consumers have access to some of the most affordable food in the world, but only a relatively small portion goes back to the farmers that grow and raise it,” says KAP President Ian Wishart. In a research project conducted this summer in Manitoba, KAP found that an average of only 27%, of the cost of an entire week’s worth of groceries for a family of four goes back to the farm gate. Depending on the food group, that percentage ranged from 4% for grain products like bagels and rice to 35% for dairy products like yogurt and cheese.
The farmers’ share ranges widely between food products, often depending on the number of steps in the chain between the farm and the grocery store. Less-processed foods, like meat or vegetables, often showed a greater return to the farmer. In the case of bread or other grain products, the actual return to the farm gate is extremely small.
“Saskatchewan and Manitoba producers grow the bulk of the country’s food grains, so the revenue going back to many Prairie farmers is especially small.” said Glenn Blakley, President of APAS. “We’re hoping this information allows people to understand where their grocery dollars are going, and helps them to think critically when media is saturated with stories that place the responsibility for rising food costs straight back to the farm gate.”
The menu selections were based on Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating for two adults, a teenager, and a child. The total food cost (before taxes) was $186.22, with 89% of the foods listed as being produced in Canada.
“Just by their food-buying decisions, consumers across the country can decide what portion of their dollar is going back to support Canadian farm families,” says Ian Wishart.
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For more information, please contact:
Don Connick, APAS President. Cell: (306) 672-8208
Ian Wishart, KAP President. Cell: (204) 856-6964.