Canadians have put diets on budget

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/12/2023 (647 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If the holidays are a time of celebration — and let’s face it, food is how most of us celebrate — New Year’s is a time for reflection, taking stock and looking ahead.

The annual food orgy is nearly over and if you weren’t already feeling contrite over all the eggnog and second helpings, then the ads filling up the social media feeds should do the trick.

There’s a herd of gurus preying on our guilt and telling us what to eat, when to eat and whether to join a gym or subscribe to a weight-loss app to prolong your life and save the world.

The statistics show that while January is the best month for gyms to gain new members, the dropout rate is high. Some studies show that up to 80 per cent of new memberships are inactive five months later.

Why set yourself up for failure? Why not pick a course that costs less and delivers better results for you as well as the planet? Besides, it’s a path many of us appear to be already on — so your chances of success are high.

Instead of putting themselves on a diet, it seems many Canadians are either consciously or subconsciously putting their diets on a budget — and it’s one that’s steering them towards better food choices.

One of the mysteries in Canada’s Food Price Report released in early December was that despite historically high food prices, a family of four spent about $50 per month less on food last year.

What gives? The explanations for this anomaly varied, but included shopping around more, buying less expensive products and buying less volume. Although those surveyed said they worried about high prices negatively affecting their nutrition, it’s not clear that it has.

True, food bank use is at historically high levels, so that’s become a necessity for more people. We mustn’t ignore the need for find income-based solutions to poverty. But that’s not how most households are coping with higher food prices.

It could be that they are throwing less away. It’s notable that the annual food budget used for the annual food price report includes a food wastage allowance of only five per cent.

That’s conservative relative to other studies that suggest waste at the consumer level is much higher — as much as $1,300 a year or around nine per cent of a household’s annual food costs. So even a modest decrease could make a big difference to the family budget.

Buying less won’t hurt farmers’ feelings any. There’s lots of demand for what they grow elsewhere.

Just before Christmas, the Food Analytics Lab followed up with a second survey that probed consumer attitudes towards food as the new year dawns.

Researchers say it indicates a “significant shift” in consumer behaviours around food choices, with an increased emphasis on sustainability, health and local sourcing.

“These trends are not just fleeting preferences but indicative of a deeper transformation in the Canadian food industry, signalling a growing consciousness among consumers about the broader impacts of their food decisions,” Food Analytics Lab research manager Janet Music said in a release.

“While a total of 48 per cent of Canadians intend to better plan meals and shopping lists to reduce waste, 36.2 per cent intend to eat leftovers more often in 2024,” the survey report said.

One-third of respondents plan to use their freezer more and do more canning. One-quarter intend to buy food products with a longer shelf life. About 20 per cent aim to serve smaller portions in 2024.

Survey respondents indicated they would be dining out less often or choosing less expensive restaurants, sharing meals, or forgoing wine with their dinner. Between 30 and 44 per cent said they plan to watch for sales and use coupons and loyalty programs more often when buying groceries.

Granted, these are simply intentions until people act on them. However, even incremental gains in any of these measures could have wide-ranging impacts ranging from better health to lower greenhouse gas emissions, to less garbage in our landfills.

Resolve to make 2024 the Year of the Leftovers — and then go for a walk.

Laura Rance is executive editor, production content lead for Glacier FarmMedia. She can be reached at lrance@farmmedia.com