Pricey produce prompts some shoppers to turn to frozen food
Some Canadians are snubbing expensive fruits and vegetables, instead turning to frozen produce and juice as less-pricey alternatives, a new survey by researchers from two universities has found.
Soaring produce prices have been a hot topic recently. Fresh vegetable costs rose 11.7 percent and fresh fruit prices increased 11 percent year-over-year in April, according to Statistics Canada's most recent consumer price index report.
Researchers from the University of Guelph's food institute and Dalhousie University surveyed more than 1,000 adults in Canada between May 12 and 24 to determine if these rising prices have changed consumer grocery shopping behaviours. The polling industry's professional body, the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.
The results suggest low-income households, less-educated folks and young people are more vulnerable to produce's ongoing price volatility, said Sylvain Charlebois, the dean of the faculty of management at Dalhousie University in Halifax, N.S., and one of the report's authors.
Why you might want to try the frozen food aisle
About one-quarter of respondents said they ate less fruits and vegetables over the past 12 months. Respondents with low incomes and lower education levels were more likely to have taken this measure than their wealthier counterparts, Charlebois said. Slightly more than two-thirds of respondents said they passed on purchasing specific high-cost produce.
About half of respondents opted not to purchase cauliflower at some point over the past year. Several months ago, cauliflower prices soared toward double digits a head thanks to a sliding loonie and drought in California. Some restaurateurs showcasing the cruciferous vegetable hiked prices or pulled the items from their menus. More than 15 percent of respondents also admitted to avoiding broccoli, lettuce, oranges and apples. Apples, for example, jumped 23.4 percent in price from April 2015 to last April, according to Statistics Canada. Tomatoes, cucumbers, bananas and carrots were snubbed in smaller numbers.
5 healthy reasons to eat more canned and frozen foods
Many respondents — about 45 percent — also considered buying or purchased frozen produce as a way to reduce their total grocery bill. Fewer of them — about 17 percent — did the same with juice.
These cost-cutting measures may be something consumers will continue to do as produce prices don't show any signs of easing. In the University of Guelph's 2016 food price report, Charlebois predicts this year's food inflation will outpace general inflation with vegetables increasing in price by two to four per cent and fruits by 2.5 to 4.5 percent.
It's hard to say exactly how produce prices will play out in the future, he said, but produce price increases are unlikely to go away.
"Because of climate change, we are expecting vegetable and fruit prices to become much more volatile than they have ever been in recent decades,'' he said.
Here's how to make the most of your frozen fruits.
Frozen raspberries: Swirled raspberry cheesecake bars
The secret to the gorgous finish? Dollops of raspberry coulis in the batter, swirled in before baking. Get our swirled raspberry cheesecake bar recipe.
Frozen raspberries: Power beet smoothie
A beet smoothie for breakfast? Absolutely! Blend them up with frozen banana and raspberries with a bit of Greek yogurt for a tasty start to the day. Get our power beet smoothie recipe.
Frozen raspberries: Peanut butter and jam oatmeal
Frozen raspberries make up the bright berry jam swirl we added to this retro PB & J take on breakfast oatmeal. Get our peanut butter and jam oatmeal recipe.
Frozen raspberries: Raspberry and streusel coffee cake
The name’s a bit misleading: This casual, not-too-sweet cake isn’t coffee-flavoured, it’s meant to be enjoyed with coffee instead. Get our raspberry and streusel coffee cake recipe.
Frozen raspberries: Bushberry pudding cake
Raspberries add a dose of antioxidants and give this dessert its sweet-tart taste. Drizzle whisky-butter sauce over warm cake and top with whipped cream. Get our bushberry pudding cake recipe.
Frozen raspberries: Raspberry Cordial
A homegrown alternative to lemonade, this refreshing drink works just as well with frozen fruit as fresh. Get our Raspberry Cordial recipe.
Frozen raspberries: Avocado pound cake with raspberry glaze
This cake offers the health benefits of avocado and raspberries in a very pretty, technicoloured dessert. Get our avocado pound cake recipe.
Frozen blueberries: Easy blueberry crumb cake
An ultra-simple crumb cake to serve after dinner with tea and coffee. Get our blueberry crumb cake recipe.
Frozen blueberries: Streusel crunch blueberry muffins
With a crispy streusel topping, tons of berries and a hint of nutty whole wheat, these aren’t your everyday blueberry muffins. Bonus: They’re deliciously moist inside! Get our blueberry muffins recipe.
Frozen blueberries: Blueberry-lemon cheesecake bars
The berries, lemon and cream cheese make this the perfect East-coast inspired treat. Get our blueberry-lemon cheesecake bars recipe.
Frozen blueberries: Berry bliss pudding
This tasty frozen blueberry and bread pudding can be made up to a day in advance, which makes it great for entertaining. Get our berry bliss pudding recipe.
Frozen bananas: Best banana bread recipe
Save those over-ripe bananas in the freezer, then defrost them when you’re craving banana bread. (Hint: Over-ripe bananas give the bread that boost of banana flavour you want.) Get our banana bread recipe.
Frozen bananas: Chocolate-walnut banana bread
Our revamped recipe has everything you love about banana bread—and it turns out whole-wheat flour, flax seeds (and rum) make the original taste even better. Get our chocolate-walnut banana bread recipe.
Frozen bananas: Banana chocolate-chip ice cream
This may well be the creamiest (and fastest) ice cream you’ve ever made. Get our banana chocolate-chip ice cream recipe.
Frozen strawberries: Strawberry-rose sorbet
This sorbet is really easy to make: just whirl frozen strawberries in a food processor with sugar, rosewater and lemon juice until smooth, and voila! A simple, refreshing dessert. Get our strawberry-rose sorbet recipe.
Frozen strawberries: Red berry smoothie bowl
Simplify your morning with an energizing smoothie bowl. This easy, eye-pleasing meal begins with a fruit and yogurt base and is packed with protein, fibre and vitamins. Get the red berry smoothie bowl recipe.
Frozen mixed berries: Apple berry brown betty
This sweet-tangy dish is loaded with fruits, making it a healthy (and tasty) treat for dessert. Best part: it’s really easy to make. Get our apple berry brown betty recipe.
Frozen mixed berries: Berry blast smoothie bowl
This easy, eye-pleasing smoothie bowl will energize you and simplify your morning. It starts with a fruit and yogurt base and is packed with protein, fibre and vitamins. Get our berry blast smoothie recipe.
Frozen mango (and banana): Superfood green smoothie
Loaded with spinach, mango, frozen banana, chia seeds and matcha powder, this superfood green smoothie is a breakfast time winner. Get our superfood green smoothie recipe.
Frozen mango (and banana): Tropical sorbet
Transport yourself to an island paradise with our sorbet recipe. Made with frozen mango and bananas, it’s ready in just 5 minutes. Get our tropical sorbet recipe.
Frozen mango (and banana): Tropical twist smoothie bowl
This easy meal begin with a frozen fruit and yogurt base. It's the perfect pared-down breakfast to keep your mornings stress-free. Get our tropical twist smoothie bowl recipe.
More:
15 weird things producers do to beautify our food
10 easy herbs to plant (and cook with) this summer
11 nutritious recipes to keep you going this Ramadan
GET CHATELAINE IN YOUR INBOX!
Subscribe to our newsletters for our very best stories, recipes, style and shopping tips, horoscopes and special offers.