Apr. 23, 2026 "Why are veggies so expensive? Consumers crunched by climbing cucumber costs": Today I found this article by Natalie Stechyson on CBC:
Bad news if you recently decided to eat more greens because meat is so expensive.
It's the produce section of your local grocery store that may trigger a double-take these days.
Fresh veggies cost 7.8 per cent more year over year in March,
according to Statistics Canada's most recent inflation numbers.
After prices increased 0.5 per cent in February,
March's increase is the largest since August 2023.
And while the prices of beef and coffee were still among the worst offenders for price increases over the past year,
the standout item for March is the one doing all the heavy lifting in salads,
packed lunches
and your toddler's vegetable intake:
the mighty cuke.
The price of cucumber has increased 28.4 per cent over the past year, climbing sharply since January.
The monthly average retail price was $2.21 per cucumber in February (the most recent data available).
In March last year, the price was $1.54.
A quick scan of grocery store websites on Wednesday shows current regular prices for a single cucumber are anywhere from
$2.99 at a St. John's Sobeys,
and $2.99 at a Toronto Metro
to $2.50 at a Vancouver Loblaws.
The problem with cucumbers is we don't have a very diverse supply of them in Canada,
and they're highly perishable.
That makes them especially susceptible to production shortages,
said Michael von Massow, a food agriculture professor at Ontario's University of Guelph.
And in the colder months,
Canada imports much of its cucumbers from Mexico and the U.S.,
where supply has been affected by poor weather and disease.
"If we have three trucks of Corn Flakes go off the road,
there's probably more Corn Flakes sitting in a warehouse somewhere
and we can accelerate the production of Corn Flakes,"
von Massow said.
"But for cucumbers, you need to plant new cucumber plants ...
so we don't have a lot of buffer there."
Statistics Canada noted that cucumbers, peppers and celery all had notable price growth in March,
"due in part to tighter supplies related to
adverse growing conditions
in producing countries."
'All about fuel'
Prices for fresh fruits and veggies are seasonal,
depending on local growing seasons.
And overall, for fresh vegetables, we would typically expect prices to start coming down in March as the growing season moves further north, von Massow said.
Yet their prices in March increased 1.7 per cent from February.
"That 1.7 per cent is all about fuel," he added, citing the war in the Middle East.
As The Canadian Press notes, Iran’s move to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to U.S. and Israeli attacks and ongoing uncertainty over ceasefire talks has sent global fuel prices skyrocketing in recent weeks.
TD Bank senior economist Leslie Preston warned that
food inflation is particularly vulnerable to
higher fuel prices
because the grocery sector has thin profit margins,
and transportation costs make up a sizeable share of expenses.
"In Canada, we are getting a lot of our food from very far away,
so transportation costs are a key factor.
That would be something we'd be watching for in the months ahead potentially to boost food prices," she told The Canadian Press.
Local veggies coming soon
The good news? Spring is coming, and so is local produce.
Typically, vegetable and fruit prices drop each month from April to June, von Massow said,
whether it's from locally grown food
or production in the U.S. moving further north,
cutting down on transportation costs.
"We would expect over the coming months, even independently of the war in Iran and fuel prices, for prices to come down."
When you look at the monthly average retail price going back nine years, for instance, cucumber prices are seasonal —
increasing in the fall,
peaking in the winter
and falling in the spring.
The local growing season for cucumber typically starts in late spring and ends in September, with less supply over fall and winter driving up prices.
And even though annually, the price of cucumbers has shot up, it's actually decreased slightly by three per cent since February.
That's likely a reflection of a correction in the market,
plus production moving a little bit further north,
von Massow said.
As an alternative, there's another, sometimes overlooked option: frozen and dried vegetables, which only increased in price by 0.5 per cent year over year and didn't change from February.
And von Massow says they're just as good, with today's flash-freezing technology preserving all the nutrients.
"Yes, it's nice to eat something fresh and crunchy.
But if you were going to cook it
and you're looking to save money,
then frozen Canadian vegetables are a great way of saving some money
with the same level of nutrition."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/vegetable-prices-canada-9.7173027
This is on the Apr. 2026 blog post:
"Declining imports of Florida orange juice highlights changing tastes for Canadian consumers"/ "So long, frozen juice from concentrate. The once-popular canned drink leaves shelves this year"
Jan. 30, 2026 "So long, frozen juice from concentrate. The once-popular canned drink leaves shelves this year": Today I found this article by Jenna Benchetrit on CBC:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/minute-maid-discontinuing-frozen-juice-9.7065520
https://badcb.blogspot.com/2026/04/declining-imports-of-florida-orange.html
Jun. 8, 2026 "Canned, frozen juice from concentrate coming back to Canadian shelves": Today I found this article by on CBC:
That distinctive "schhhhhlorp" sound could be back in Canadian kitchens soon, as frozen juice is set to return to one of Canada's largest retailers.
Loblaw has confirmed that its yellow and black No Name brand is bringing frozen concentrated drinks back to its stores across the country.
"The new assortment includes
White Lemonade,
Pink Lemonade,
Limeade,
Grape Punch,
Fruit Punch
and Berry Punch,"
Loblaw spokesperson Rachel Siekanowicz wrote in a statement to CBC News.
The new products are expected before the end of June.
The relaunch comes months after Coca-Cola discontinued its Minute Maid line of frozen juices.
At the time, the beverage giant's plant in Peterborough, Ont., was the only producer still selling the concentrated products into the Canadian market.
Other brands of frozen juice in Canada, including Old South, had been discontinued for years after Canadian company Lassonde left the category, saying demand for frozen-from-concentrate juice had waned.
After Lassonde left the market, only Coca-Cola remained until early 2026.
Customers still have 'strong demand,' says Loblaw
The upcoming No Name juice will not come from a Canadian supplier, according to Loblaw.
"There is currently no manufacturer producing frozen juice concentrate in Canada," Siekanowicz wrote. S
he said the company began looking for alternatives as soon as it learned frozen juice would be unavailable through existing suppliers such as Coca-Cola.
Frozen juice from concentrate was invented more than 80 years ago but lost popularity over the decades,
in part because juice as a whole lost what beverage analysts call "share of throat."
"Out of all of the cups of juice that Canadians are consuming,
only about seven per cent is from frozen concentrate,"
said Emma Balment, Toronto-based director of market strategy and understanding at market research firm Ipsos, in a January interview with CBC News.
Loblaw said prices for its new products will depend on the store; the company's brands include
Loblaws,
Real Canadian Superstore,
No Frills
and Shoppers Drug Mart.
The company told CBC News it expects to start pricing around $2.25 for 283 millilitres.
Loblaw's No Name may not be the only version of frozen drink available in the coming months, with some Metro-owned store brands beginning to list frozen concentrate online months after the retailer said it was considering options to replace the discontinued product.
However, the Montreal-based retailer does not operate across Canada.
While the now-defunct Minute Maid juices appeared to be the last frozen concentrates mass-manufactured in Canada,
a domestic producer may still be considering the product.
An industry source told CBC News a Canadian company may be re-entering the frozen juice market, but details aren't available yet.
At a minimum, that could mean relief for many Newfoundlanders before Christmas approaches.
The frozen juice cans are an ingredient in "slush," a popular cocktail of the concentrated juice, sugar and alcohol prepared in a bucket around the holiday season.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/frozen-juice-is-back-9.7225912
My week:
Tues. Oct. 13, 2026
Mitchell G, Leduc, Alberta, would like to know:
Would you rather rent an Airbnb or a hotel room?
Rent a hotel room
74.03% (3628)
Rent an Airbnb
25.97% (1273)
My opinion: Rent a hotel room.
Sat. Oct. 10, 2026 Snow: It was snowing, but as soon as it lands, it melts.
Eternally Yours:
"Follows the journey of a married vampire couple struggling to accept their daughter's human boyfriend, after being together for 500 years."
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33078239/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_eter
My opinion: I watched the pilot and thought it was mediocre. I don't really like sitcoms.
I always check out pilots because a show might be good.
This didn't get me into the Halloween mood.
This is form Joe Port and Joe Wiseman and they produced Ghosts which comes on before this show. I have never seen Ghosts.
They produced Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist which I did like.
Cupertino:
"A scrappy lawyer takes on a powerful tech giant in a high-stakes legal battle, navigating the cutthroat world of Silicon Valley while fighting for justice and the little guy's rights."
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33270224/?ref_=fn_t_1
My opinion: I watched the pilot and thought it was good. I don't really like law dramas, but there was some comedy here.
I'm not going to watch this show again.
I didn't know Cupertino was a city in California where it's Silicon Valley.
This is from Michelle King and Robert King who produced Evil. I thought that show was average. I saw the first season, and then it moved to Paramount + and I didn't watch it there.
They also produced these shows I didn't watch:
The Good Wife
The Good Fight
Elsbeth
