Food industry groups object to proposed B.C. chicken price increase

Restaurants Canada is urging the B.C. government to intervene in a proposed increase to the farm-level price of chicken in the province.  

The industry group says in a press release that the price hike proposed by the BC Chicken Marketing Board, which monitors and regulates production and marketing, would be “untenable” for restaurants and for consumers. 

Restaurants Canada is one of several food industry associations sounding the alarm about the marketing board’s proposal, which is currently awaiting approval by the B.C. Farm Industry Review Board.

The restaurants group, as well as the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors and the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, wrote to the review board in December urging it not to accept the proposal. 

The situation illustrates the pressure that all levels of the food industry are under to keep prices stable for consumers.

The federal government in the fall called on the grocers to present their plans to stabilize prices as grocery inflation continues to outpace overall inflation.