A new survey finds two-thirds of Canadians still plan on turkey with all the fixings. It's a busy day at The Meat Company, an online butcher shop in Winnipeg. On the Thursday before Thanksgiving, Stephen Cross and his staff cut up the meat and pack orders to be picked up or delivered to their customers for their big meal.
"Now that the COVID epidemic is kind of coming to an end, hopefully people will start to gather at home again. So eat more. So, we're busy. Fun. Finally," Cross, co-owner and head butcher, said as he sliced grilled ribs. boneless. Cross could only get frozen turkeys this year, he said, and they sold out last week. So, people buy roast beef.
"They do brisket on smokers, pork butts on smokers. So, it's a little different than usual," he said. Two-thirds of Canadians plan to eat the same food: poll
A recent Angus Reid online survey of 1,244 Canadians found that those who celebrate Thanksgiving, more than two-thirds will eat the same food as usual, even with inflation pushing up the prices of everything from turkey to potatoes.
Statistics Canada reported on Sept. 20 that inflation was up nearly 11 percent across all retail food items. One of the main drivers is still the supply chain disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, complicated by labor shortages. Another factor is Russia's war in Ukraine, which has pushed up commodity prices. But some traditions are hard to break.
“The majority of Canadians stick to tradition. If they were planning to host, they would probably have turkeys," said Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri Food Analysis Lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax, who has partnered with Angus Reid for the survey. It did in September with a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent, 19 times out of 20.
However, about a quarter of Canadians will make some dietary adjustments, according to the survey. Sylvain notes that low-income households, earning less than $50,000 a year, are almost certain to make a difference because of higher food prices. Charlebois said the price per kilogram of turkey has increased about 16 percent from this time last year. Potatoes are 22 percent more expensive. Bacon, ham and chicken cost about 10 percent more.
"People might decide to go for a smaller bird. They might decide to look for a cheaper source of protein like chicken or ham," he says. "Maybe people will choose the other side over potatoes."
"They will plan ahead and they will try to stretch their dollar," Charlebois said. 'Glad to have turkey' At the Winnipeg Food Fair, customer Jerry Brown says he's still looking for the traditional bird. "Only once or twice a year for Christmas. It's nice to have a turkey," he said.
Others cut back, like Ciara Maffiola, who said, "I don't buy whole turkeys. I just buy small turkey breasts."
Food Fair owner Munther Zeid said he noticed most people weren't spending less, but they were spending differently. For example, instead of serving a large turkey plus ham or roast, some opt for a smaller version of each.
"I've never seen an increase like this in my entire life. I've been in the business working with my dad since I was a kid. I basically started part time in 1983 and I've never seen what we're seeing at the moment," he said. Traditional doesn't have to mean turkey. For others, it would be a traditional meal on the table, but not turkey or ham. They're cooking up a storm at Winnipeg Philippines restaurant Jeepney, which has a Thanksgiving takeout special featuring their most popular pork dishes—Bagnet Kare-Kare and Crispy Pata—plus grilled Chicken Inasal and Shanghai Lumpia—fried spring rolls.
“I know that Turkey is usually in the spotlight for Thanksgiving, but we tried to come up with the Filipino way,” said owner Chantilly Guerrero-Agustin. His costs have skyrocketed too. For example, cooking oil doubled from last year. But for him, it's a way to stretch his customers' Thanksgiving food budget. "Everything has really gone up so we're still trying to make it very affordable, but not compromising on the quality of the food we serve."
Guerrero-Agustin says no matter what the tradition, this weekend is all about gathering around the table and being grateful. "Especially in our society, food is still very important. No matter how difficult life is."