'They're not trying to gouge me': Trust, fairness and the high cost of food on P.E.I.

This story is from this week's episode of the new CBC podcast Good Question, P.E.I.

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The high cost of food is no surprise to anyone who eats.

A cucumber that might have been 99 cents a couple years ago could be three times thatnow. If broccoli already leaves a bad taste in your mouth, wait till you see the price.

And eating out at a restaurant? You might have room in your belly for dessert, but what about in your wallet?

Brandon Howard Roy loves a deal as much as the next person, but there's only so much coupon-clipping a person can do.

"I'm not cheap. I'm a value-minded consumer," he explained.

"Like, seeing how prices have gotten a little crazy recently I don't know, it's just been nagging at me."

So Howard Roy did what anyone does when they want answers. He turned to the CBC podcast Good Question, P.E.I.

22:22Why does our food cost more all of a sudden?

"How does this food system work? And how are people sort of up the food chain from me, the home cook, fighting those price increases?" he asked podcast host Nicola MacLeod.

So MacLeod set out to speak with afarmer, a butcher, a restaurant chef and a small community grocer.

They all told herthey do whatever they can to keep prices down. But they have to feed themselves, too, and they have to make at least a modest profit.

The farmer, Soleil Hutchinson of Soleil's Farm in South Melville, P.E.I., says costs for everything from fertilizer to packaging are up.

"It's been hard for us sometimes, like we've had to confront the fact that we can't feed everybody," she said. "We would love for our food to be accessible for everybody at every income level, but we need to maintain a viable business if we're going to treat our employees well. It doesn't help anybody if we're dropping our prices so low that we can't pay ourselves and our employees."

The butcher, Kevin Wile of the Summerside Butcher Shop, says he tries to buy in bulk and get producton the shelves as soon as possible.

"Typical day for me would [be], you know, I come in here in the morning, my office, I get about 20-30 emails from different suppliers offering different pricing and then I look through them all, find the best deal for the consumers."

The chef, Hunter Guindon of The Table in New London, says he and the restaurant's owner frequent local farms, markets, small grocery stores and wharves looking for the best and freshest products.

A bag of carrots, for example, may not always be as cheap as he'd find in a big-box store, but he'd rather buy from someone he's built a relationship with than a CEO setting prices from a corporate office 1,000 kilometres away.

"It's important to me that when I am spending the dollars on food that it's going into the pockets of my friends," Guindonsaid.

Finally, the small community grocer. Gallants has been part of the Rustico community for 97 years. Keith Gallant, the grandson of the original owner, operates the store now.

While big chain stores make millions in profits by selling high volumes, Gallantsaidthat's not the case for small grocers.

He said his customers and suppliers have become like family, and there is a level of trust. He said some farmers feel bad when they have to charge him more, but he understands they have their own bills to pay.

"I know they're not trying to gouge me," Gallant said.

"I tell them, look, you have to do what you have to do. I don't want to see you disappear. If you're a farmer and you're selling meat, potatoes or beans or whatever it is, and you tell me that that price has gone up, you know, 50 cents a pound, it is what it is."

So, as hard as it is to swallow the high price of food, it seems like we're all in it together. And Gallant hopes that's some consolation.

"Like all the other small country stores that I see around, I know them all and they're all doing the same as I'm doing, trying to keep their community happy. And their community is standing behind them, which is great. It really is."

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