What’s going on with sky-high food prices? - The Fifth Estate

Major grocery CEOs are called before Parliament as Canadians struggle with the high cost of food — except the heads of stores in the North. The Fifth Estate, in partnership with APTN Investigates, looks at what’s behind the high food prices consumers face, who’s profiting and whether companies are being held accountable.

#Food #CostOfLiving #News

00:00 - Market share of big grocers (Loblaws, Sobeys and Metro)

10:54 - Nutrition North: How unaffordable is food in remote northern communities? (Exploring Northmart)

26:14 - Supplier shares frustration over price gatekeeping

35:08 - Who’s holding companies accountable?

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About The Fifth Estate: For more than four decades, The Fifth Estate has been Canada's premier investigative documentary program. Hosts Bob McKeown, Mark Kelley and Steven D'Souza continue a tradition of provocative and fearless journalism. The Fifth Estate brings in-depth investigations that matter to Canadians — delivering a dazzling parade of political leaders, controversial characters and ordinary people whose lives were touched by triumph or tragedy.

Who's Minding the Store?

producer/director
Linda Guerriero

producer
Ivan Angelovski

writer
Steven D’Souza

associate producer
Lisa Ellenwood

video editor
Jan Silverthorne

senior videographer
Jonathan Castell

for APTN
video journalist
Tom Fennario

investigative reporter
Brittany Guyot

for CBC
additional cinematography
Carl-Eric Cardinal
Ousama Farag
Tom Fennario
Andy Hincenbergs
Adrian Di Virgilio

drone operator
Cory Herperger

additional drone
Josh Grummett

archival material
CP Images
ParlVu
POND5
TikTok
YouTube

additional research
Victoria Lean

intern
Leïla Ahouman

original concept
Victoria Lean

special thanks
Christy McMullen
Noggins Corner Farm

graphic designers
Neil Joyes
Froilan Untalasco

post audio
Ron Searles

colourist
Scott McIntyre

visual research
Leslie Morrison

media management
Astoria Luzzi

theme music
Steve D'Angelo

rollout producer
Leanne Stepnow

social media producers
Alex Migdal
Britt Purdy

digital producer
Janet Davison

project manager
Ella Shi

resource coordinators
Marc Cormier
Dragan Maricic

associate director
Carmen Smith

packaging editor
Alessia Protomanni

coordinating associate director
Rhonda Kirkpatrick

for APTN

associate producer
Josh Grummett

producer
Cullen Crozier

executive producer
Paul Barnsley

for CBC
senior producers
Raj Ahluwalia
Emmanuel Marchand

executive producer
Allya Davidson

original broadcast
FEBRUARY 23, 2024

[notkyraandmikayla]

It feels borderline dystopian to be watching this and settling with the fact that this could be the new “norm”. How am I living in a wealthy developed country and I worry about how I’m going to feed myself? An absolute failure of government and politicians, so much talk but what are we actually doing… I feel for my neighbours in the North, it feels tragic to watch this unfold.

[highwayhydroponics]

Thank you farmers for all your hard work.

[prairieboypools]

I saw a video where a woman from Ontario was in South Carolina or somewhere down south and saw a bag of carrots which were grown in her neck of the woods back home selling for something like 79 cents. The same bag cost $6.99 or something at her local grocery store.

So how does that make sense? Grown locally and sold for an arm and a leg.

Shipped internationally and sold for peanuts.

Clown world.

[cmaximus]

🛑 🛑 I work for a school district and I know all in the US are not allowed to even give the waste to employees, “HAS TO BE THROWN OUT”!
It turns my stomach!!

[tarahartshorne]

I can’t believe that guy from North nurtrition “it’s up to consumers to make decisions as to whether costs are appropriate” how are consumers supposed to make informed choices about costs when there is only one grocery store in the community?

[beerforbreakfast]

Having grocery executives helping government to implement new pricing rules is like a chicken farmer consulting with a fox over the security of his pens.

[kapilgangurde]

Controlling us with food prices is just inhuman 😢

[ishanchotaliya]

OMG, just a couple of cents in profit for farmers??? And 6 $ for a Brad loaf? That's just criminal

[CatherineRogers-ti]

Folks, I used to work for the food giant grocery chain, Safeway. The amount of waste, each and everyday, was absolutely astounding! Food rendered unsalabe was discarded 98% of the time, rather than marked down, or donated. We did have Salvation army pick up bread items, and baking that was over the due date, and that was the only food that as far as I knew, was put to good use. We need to use our common sense again, people are starving and going without eating. I know a lady who only eats every second day! I bet those CEO'S are not doing without!

[Astrby]

Who would have guessed giving subsidies right to retailers who's main goal is to be profitable wouldnt be handed down the line to consumers in good faith... couldnt have seen this coming... out of the blue

[gabwebsite]

This is a fantastic documentary. Journalists should now do their job and report this to the mainstream medias. We don't need distractions, we need afforable housing and food prices. That's the base of everyone's life

[DaveVargas]

I spend my money at mom and pop shops. Local family owned and operated. Stop by corporate and feeding the greed.

[Trev-hj]

How else do the grocery ceos afford their life of luxury meanwhile food banks are running out of food, nobody can afford rent, the idea of buying a home is laughable. People need to get angry!

[simpleblessings]

Folks, I used to work for the food giant grocery chain, Safeway. The amount of waste, each and everyday, was absolutely astounding! Food rendered unsalabe was discarded 98% of the time, rather than marked down, or donated. We did have Salvation army pick up bread items, and baking that was over the due date, and that was the only food that as far as I knew, was put to good use. We need to use our common sense again, people are starving and going without eating. I know a lady who only eats every second day! Reason being, she cannot afford to eat everyday and pay her bills too....And I bet those grocery store CEO'S are not doing without!

[DavidMohan-pu]

Thank you for this. This level of greed is not sustainable. Not from grocery stores, not from property agencies. People capable of greed will never say "ok, I have enough now." The government needs to help us by capping this greed, because most of us can't keep our heads above water any longer.

[alt]

Sweden is a high tax and high cost of labour and everything else, yet the cost of food is almost half price compare to Canada, the answer is less corporations greed, les CEOs greed, less share holders nonsense and more Government control .

[patriciagallace]

The ceo of woolworths in Australia 🇦🇺- one of the two large grocery chains, was forced to resign. A huge investigation into price fixing on groceries just ordered by the PM regarding price gouging. Profits hundreds of percent. It’s outrageous. What’s the Canadian PM doing? Nothing

[bobinabuddy]

Northern employee who tried to stop the madness, a good soul and thank you for telling your story

[J-Blue]

The same thing is going on here where I live in Hawaii - price gouging at its finest. Also, lots of perfectly good food only one day expired being thrown out. I asked a grocery worker why it wasn't being donated, she answered "liability risks." The whole system is unethical & wasteful.

[TroyQwert]

I have tears of happiness in my eyes just from realizing that someone truly cares about this. Thank you! This is the way!