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Another Look at Food Inflation Numbers

Mike von Massow

May 18, 2022
4 min

Another Look at Food Inflation Numbers

Statistics Canada released the food price index for April 2022 and the news continues to be concerning. Year over year food prices have increased by 8.8% with food bought in retail increasing 9.7%. These numbers are up from the March numbers which tells us that prices continue to go up. These increases are important and significant but not unexpected. It is also important to contextualize the numbers to get a better understanding of what is happening and what is coming. Fo

What are the newest food inflation numbers telling us?

Mike von Massow

Apr 20, 2022
3 min

What are the newest food inflation numbers telling us?

Statistics Canada released the food price index for March 2022 and the news is much as we would have expected. Year over year food prices have increased by 7.7% with food bought in retail increasing 8.7%. These numbers are high and significant but it is important to look at them in a little more detail to get a more accurate and nuanced understanding of what is happening. Things are still getting more expensive The year over year numbers can sometimes be misleading. If ther

Can Governments Control Food Prices??

Mike von Massow

Apr 20, 2022
4 min

Can Governments Control Food Prices??

The rhetoric around inflation generally and food prices specifically is growing louder. It is a point of emphasis for politicians, particularly those in opposition. Most central banks have a mandate to control inflation and we are seeing interest rates rising in an effort to moderate inflation. It begs the question as to whether governments can (and as importantly should) take steps to reduce food prices. This is not to say that food inflation doesn't matter. There are clear

Can Canada Make Up the Gap in Ukrainian Wheat Production?

Mike von Massow

Mar 17, 2022
2 min

Can Canada Make Up the Gap in Ukrainian Wheat Production?

We are hearing a lot about the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the impact on world wheat markets. Ukraine is a significant producer and exporter of wheat. Both production and distribution are being disrupted by the are. While the degree and length of disruption is not yet clear, there is worry and this is reflected in the rapid increase in wheat prices. Given Canada is a large producer of wheat, many are asking whether Canadian farmers can make up the gap in whe

Is the Food System Close to Collapse?

Mike von Massow

Jan 24, 2022
5 min

Is the Food System Close to Collapse?

The simple answer is NO. In recent days we have heard about shortages in grocery stores and the potential for stores to close because of a lack of workers. We've heard how a vaccine mandate for truckers will dry up supplies of imported goods. We have seen disruptions caused by extreme weather events (rain and flooding in British Columbia and significant snow fall in Ontario). I've seen words like chaos and anarchy and predictions of imminent collapse of our entire food syst

Mike von Massow

Dec 8, 2021
3 min

Does Food Inflation Matter More than Other Inflation?

________________________________________________________________ Food prices are going up. We've seen food inflation in the past year - Statistics Canada estimates that food prices have gone up an average of almost 4% from October 2020 to October 2021. Some categories have gone up more than that. What's more, food prices will likely continue to go up over the next year due to a number of factors including supply chain issues and extreme weather (including droughts) driven b

Trade a Key Component of Climate Resilience for Food System

Mike von Massow

Oct 5, 2021
2 min

Trade a Key Component of Climate Resilience for Food System

The COVID-19 pandemic caused supply chain disruptions which included the food sector. Some of these disruptions were short term - lack of buffer inventory and plant closures due to employee outbreaks - and have largely resolved. There are have been some longer term impacts due to things like slower movement through ports which has constrained shipping capacity and led to ongoing supply chain issues which are reducing or slowing supply and increasing prices. These supply ch

Food Prices - Long and Short Term Views

Mike von Massow

Sep 16, 2021
4 min

Food Prices - Long and Short Term Views

We are hearing a lot about food price inflation and the Statistics Canada food price index for August affirms that prices in August were up 2.7% year over year. This is significant and is likely to continue. The fact that overall inflation (4.1% in August relative to August 2020) is outpacing food price inflation suggests that there will more pressure overall on our pocketbooks going forward. Some of these food price increases look like they may be around for a while (and

A Little Bit Sustainable? No! Fostering Progress.

Mike von Massow

Dec 12, 2020
2 min

A Little Bit Sustainable? No! Fostering Progress.

McDonalds launched their advertising campaign recently highlighting the introduction of beef certified under the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef's program. They don't provide much detail (a topic for another post I suppose) but they do suggest that 30% of their Quarter Pounders are now produced by certified producers. I've had several people highlight to me that this seems to be a bit of "green washing." I think its perfectly acceptable to make and announce a comm

Squeezing Processors Will Lead to Higher Prices and Less Choice

Mike von Massow

Oct 28, 2020
3 min

Squeezing Processors Will Lead to Higher Prices and Less Choice

Food retailers are getting a lot of attention lately related to increases in supply chain fees imposed on their suppliers. These fees are the cost of doing business with large retailers who have significant shares of the market. It forces suppliers to buy access to large shares of the food customers. Retailers cite the costs of PPE and other COVID safety measures and investments in store upgrades and ecommerce as rising costs and a desire not to raise prices as a reason for

Circumstances Creating Opportunities for Direct to Consumer

Mike von Massow

Oct 26, 2020
2 min

Circumstances Creating Opportunities for Direct to Consumer

Our food system has adapted remarkably well to the pressures of the COVID pandemic. We have also seen some adaptation to the change in shopping behaviours that consumers have exhibited. This adaptation will set a foundation for some of those changes to be permanent if consumers decide they like the alternative. One opportunity for smaller processors and farmers is to establish a web interface with delivery to allow them to deal directly with the consumer. I've spoken to s

Ag System Labour Crisis is about Farm Security not Food Security

Mike von Massow

Oct 16, 2020
3 min

Ag System Labour Crisis is about Farm Security not Food Security

The COVID pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated long standing issues with respect to labour in the food system - both on farms and in food processing. This is often presented in the context of a threat to food security but in reality the issue is more critical for farm security than food security - that is we are not seeing issues with respect to food access for Canadians (or North Americans) but there is pressure on farm viability and profitability. While the food secur

A Blog on KFC? Meet the New Meat

Mike von Massow

Aug 20, 2020
3 min

A Blog on KFC? Meet the New Meat

If you had told me that I would be writing a post about KFC at some point I would have laughed, but here we are. KFC is getting a lot of attention for both a plant based alternative and a 3D printed chicken nugget. Is it just noise or is something really changing? In all likelihood its a bit of both. Plant Based KFC You've likely heard the urban myth that they changed the name to KFC because they weren't actually using chicken any more. The reality is that the name change

We Can Improve Efficiency and Safety by Better Managing Lines at Grocery Stores

Mike von Massow

Aug 11, 2020
2 min

We Can Improve Efficiency and Safety by Better Managing Lines at Grocery Stores

The adjustment in operations throughout the food system has gone surprisingly well throughout the pandemic. We have adjusted to the new normal, such as it is, well and seem to be moving forward relatively well. As a teacher of operations generally and queuing theory specifically, it has surprised me that many stores, including grocery stores, have not done more to manage lines and capacities to improve flow. Many of us have stood in line outside a grocery store waiting to ge

Differences in Custom Application of Crop Inputs by Agri-Retailers across Canada

Mike von Massow

Jul 27, 2020
3 min

Differences in Custom Application of Crop Inputs by Agri-Retailers across Canada

By Nicholas Bannon, Sean Mitchell, and Alfons Weersink Speak to a farmer in Ontario and a farmer in the Prairies about the role their crop input dealer plays in their farm’s operations and they will give two very different answers. This difference is due to the high subset of Ontario dealerships that custom apply crop inputs on behalf of their clients, something which is not common among dealerships in the Prairies. During the summer of 2019, the Department of Food, Agricultu

Restaurants - Three Things That Will Change and One Thing That Won't

Mike von Massow

Jul 13, 2020
5 min

Restaurants - Three Things That Will Change and One Thing That Won't

We've seen dramatic upheaval in the restaurant industry due to the COVID19 pandemic. This will drive change in how restaurants behave in the future. Much of this change was coming anyway and has been accelerated by the current situation. It will be interesting to see the adaptation in the industry as we move forward. Those that adapt well will be successful. Unfortunately many others will not. This post arose from a discussion with my friend Bruce for the FoodFocus podc

Creating connection on campus with food

Mike von Massow

Jul 13, 2020
4 min

Creating connection on campus with food

By Paige Hewett Food has many contexts; fostering a sense of belonging and community is one we should not overlook, especially on post-secondary campuses. With the current reality of COVID19, the importance of community is further underlined, particularly in a society grappling with racism and inequality. In an opportunity to pursue independent research through my graduate program this past Fall, I was led to consider whether in an age where young adults express a lack of bel

Get in, Get out! The challenges of Farmers Markets Reopening

Mike von Massow

Jul 6, 2020
6 min

Get in, Get out! The challenges of Farmers Markets Reopening

By Laura Stortz Farmers markets are gradually reopening across Ontario. Farmers markets are considered essential workplaces so over the past few weeks many have been asking why farmers markets haven’t reopened. Farmers markets are often a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces but are often very crowded due to the large influx of customers in a shorter time period than stores that operate all days of the week. Additionally, farmers markets are a community hub where people gather to

Research Insights on Front of Package Labeling

Mike von Massow

Jun 15, 2020
4 min

Research Insights on Front of Package Labeling

By Laura Stortz The current federal government has proposed mandatory front-of-package nutrition warning labels to deter purchases of prepackaged foods ‘high in’ sugar, sodium, and/or saturated fat. The labels are part of the federal government’s Healthy Eating Strategy to combat high obesity levels in the population (67% of adults have weight categorized as overweight or obese). Health Canada estimates that the annual economic burden of unhealthy eating amounts to $6.6 billi

Do As We Say, Not As We Do?

Mike von Massow

May 17, 2020
3 min

Do As We Say, Not As We Do?

The Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) recently launched an advertising campaign to lobby for federal support for grains and oilseeds producers. There has been considerable discussion in social media and other fora regarding financial support for the Canadian agricultural sector. Many groups were disappointed with the size of the federal government package and that it focused on only a few sectors. This GFO campaign is a response to that. I was disappointed in the tone of the

RELATED PROJECTS

Considering the complexity of food, it is no surprise that conversations about it can be broad and diverse. In order to better understand how people think about food, Mike is involved in several projects. Learn more about each project below.

Ready to Serve

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH SUSTAINABLE RESTAURANT PROJECT

Our team is a group of students, faculty and community partners that are committed to working towards a more sustainable future for the restaurant industry. Every year we hold a forum, bringing prominent speakers to the University of Guelph to discuss issues in the Canadian Restaurant Industry.

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