Anthony Low, the owner of Sing Chong Supermarket says China’s ever-growing acquisitions of global meat, dairy and processed food to satisfy her population has been driving up food prices worldwide. Smithfield Farms, the largest pork-producing farm in the USA, was sold in 2013 to China.
Speaking to the Sunday Guardian from his office on Charlotte Street, Port-of-Spain, Low said, “With over one billion mouths to feed, their taste for these commodities, they’re outsourcing us and we cannot compete with China. “T&T doesn’t have the resources. When we buy one container, China buys 100, driving prices up. “Pork, beef, ox-tail, goat and lamb have increased by at least 40 to 50 per cent.
“Beef trimmings or mince meat from Australia cost US $1.26 per lb two years ago and today, we're paying US $2.15 before charges and freight.” “Most of the food was imported, down to green fig which comes from Grenada and St Vincent.” He said last week, green fig sold for $4 per lb while in his time, they went for a penny. Dasheen and sweet potatoes are now being sold at $7 per lb, and eddoes from the islands are now priced at $12 a lb.
Low said people’s tastes and lifestyles have changed. Meat, which was eaten once a week on Sundays, is now consumed every day.
Low: Challenge for consumers to stretch dollar
Low’s son, Christopher, said it was very challenging for many people to stretch their dollar. Salt beef, pigtail, corned beef and salt fish, considered long ago as “poor people food,” have all risen in price. He said whether due to international pressures or supply and demand, the cheapest tin of corned beef cost $10 up to $18, condensed milk ranged from $5 to $10.
He said people used to buy a lot more fish for Lent, now salt salmon goes for $70 per lb. Tuna and wild salmon have also got expensive worldwide because of overfishing.
Xtra Foods alternate brands, renegotiate prices with suppliers
Daniel Austin, the marketing manager of Xtra Foods Supermarkets, said the company’s solution to high food prices was to source alternate brands and renegotiate prices with suppliers. He said this was in keeping with the supermarket’s philosophy to serve all its customers of all income groups by offering them a wide variety of products as possible. Austin said customers had many alternate brands of even basic food items such as oil, rice, sugar and flour to choose wisely from.
He said while eggs, butter and milk were always stable, milk was highly competitive because of price reductions, specials and new brands on the market. Austin’s advice to shoppers was to always look at all the brands they carried and choose those that suit their pockets. He said coupled with a fast turnover and low prices, the company also did weekly checks to make sure prices, especially on basic food items, were competitive.
Consumer advocate: Food prices steadily increasing
Alana Morton, from Cascade, a consumer advocate blogger of A Social Revolution: Consumers for Fair Prices TT (https://www.facebook.com/groups/asocialrevolution.cffpitt/) said that food prices have been steadily increasing in some of the leading supermarkets. She said that the price of cheddar cheese had increased in PriceSmart to $48.99 from $41.99 per kg, while Hi-Lo Food Stores now re-branded as Massy Stores was selling their cheddar cheese at $52.99, up from $48.99 per kg.
Morton said lamb and goat prices have gone up. She said the prices usually increase around Eid but have not been reduced since. She noted that prices on other goods have also been increasing at Massy Stores. Milo and Ovaltine are now over $26 and Nescafe coffee has also increased in price.
Morton said that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had reduced the price on rice, flour and oil twice for Christmas, and before Emancipation and Eid, but those items generally remained more or less steady. She said the price of frozen king fish and carite at PriceSmart was better than the price at the fish market or Massy Stores currently. Celery cost $5 in the market last week and was 50 cents cheaper in Massy Stores, however.
Morton advised consumers to compare prices, read price tags, and do calculations. “Don’t just pick items up, throw them in the trolly and pay blindly.” Morton said at Christmas, Erin Farms hams were more expensive than the imported ones. She also noted that Arawak's fryer chicken in the white bag cost less than the company's chicken in the yellow styrofoam tray.
She said seasoned ready-to-cook meat, cut-up chicken, boneless and skinless saltfish and smoked herring, pre-cut and washed callaloo and vegetables all cost more.
‘Give UWI students food coupons’
Amanda Gayah, from Debe, is a communication studies student at UWI, St Augustine. She has to budget for the rental of an apartment near the campus and for groceries and is grateful for the Government's Gate programme to offset some of her tuition expenses, but is worried about what she will do if it is removed. She said there was a disparity in what some UWI students can afford to buy, such as those whose parents were poor and sacrificed everything for their children to study at UWI.
Gayah said well-to-do students drove cars and can afford Rituals coffee, frequented the cafeteria or went out and bought food. Some students, meanwhile, beg for money on campus to buy doubles. She said students lived on ramen noodles at $2 to $2.50 a pack, bread and butter, cheese, patties, coffee, cola, water and juice. Gayah suggested that the Government give food coupons to students who can’t afford basic food items.
