The Food Professor Profile picture
Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Visiting Scholar, McGill University. Top-Rated Podcast: https://t.co/29ja7aUR5b
Sep 20 6 tweets 1 min read
We are having affordable Australian steak tonight.

And it's amazing...

Ever wonder why Australian steak can sell for less in Canada than Canadian steak—even in Canadian grocery stores?

Let’s break it down. 👇 Image 1️⃣ High domestic costs

Canadian beef is produced under strict health, feed, and environmental standards. Add in land, labour, feed, transport, carbon taxes… all of it drives up prices...
Jan 6 12 tweets 3 min read
THREAD: Why Tombe & Winter's Paper on Carbon Pricing and Food Prices Falls Short.

The paper claims carbon pricing has a minimal impact on Canadian food prices (0.5%)—but here’s why its methodology and conclusions are flawed.

Let's break it down. 👇 #CdnPoli #CarbonTax 1/ Overly Simplistic Modelling

The authors rely on an input-output model that assumes static production methods and cost shares. This ignores how businesses might adapt by adopting more efficient technologies or practices in response to carbon pricing.

Ironically, both Tombe & Winter have argued for considering such adaptive behaviours in other work. Why ignore it here?
Oct 29, 2023 5 tweets 2 min read
How many reporters contacted Statistics Canada to inquire about anomalies in the food pricing databases?

Not a single one... Image At least 17 products have exhibited two different prices between 2017 and 2022, with 14 of them currently reflecting lower prices ranging from 2% to 25%...
Mar 5, 2023 8 tweets 2 min read
Perspective (follow thread): The average family of four in Canada will likely spend about $1,050 more on food in 2023 for the entire year.

Top Canadian grocers, made $3.4B in net profit last year... Payments for a $300,000 mortgage (5y variable rate) is now $520 more per month, compared to last year. That's $6,240 a year more, for shelter. More than 5 million Canadians have a mortgage with a variable rate in Canada.

Canadian banks made $50.4B in net profit last year...