according to a recent Ipsos Canada study, the Buy Local movement is largely bolstered by older Canadians. Gen Z consumers, on the other hand, are almost six times more likely to switch to an American service such as a bank or telecommunications company, according to the survey.
Carleton University economics professor Frances Woolley noted more than a quarter of youth aged 25-34 are food insecure already. University of Victoria theatre student Samantha Frew said she has heard the calls to buy local. But she still tends to do most of her shopping at Walmart for financial reasons. She also struggles to figure out which companies are wholly Canadian.
“As much as it felt dystopian to go into the liquor store and see posters over all the American liquor, I was like ‘Oh, I wouldn’t have known that unless that poster was directly over it.‘ ”
In Montreal, National Theatre School student Owen Carter said they have boycotted corporations and products for other causes in the past, but cutting out all American goods is proving to be much more difficult.
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Prof. Woolley advises students trying to buy local to shop seasonally.
“Canada grows a lot of things in the summer, not so much in the winter,” Prof. Woolley said. “In winter that means eating things that keep like root vegetables and frozen food.”
She said buying locally does not have to be expensive. She referenced butternut squash and Canadian cabbage, two pieces of produce that can keep all winter and won’t break the bank.
Don’t shop at the big grocery stores, other than Costco and London Drugs. Stick to smaller local markets and farmers markets. You get so much good stuff and both of them help the planet.
Both Superstore and Save On foods have massively inflated prices on Canadian goods. Save On Foods is selling Chapmans and Island Farms ice cream for $12-13, but the US shit for half that. Same with the cheese.
Side note: Kraft bribes grocery store management to push their stuff. Every company does it to a degree, but Kraft used to do a $200 shopping spree for all store management every Christmas.
I do understand the avoid big grocery stores and shop local comments, but No Frills is unionized where I live. I shop there for that reason and have told the management that.
I shop local too, but the two local markets are non-union and I’ve been told that one of them doesn’t treat employees well.
So the choices are too complicated to be covered by any blanket statement.
Superstore absolutely abuses its unionized members.
The union is barely worth a damn unless youre a GenX/Boomer who is grandfathered into Grid A.
Go to Wholesale Club, not Costco. I went shopping at Costco with someone who had a membership there, and it is insane how much they ship in from down south.
Weird. I was actually somewhat impressed with the fact that a lot of the food was Canadian - though I guess from a logistics perspective it makes sense.
Eg. Dairy, eggs, lentils, some cereal, coffee etc.