The myth that local products are more expensive could well be destroyed. While the price of foodstuffs continues to rise, consumers who prefer Quebec products at the grocery store often find themselves paying a lower bill, concludes a study published Tuesday by Aliments du Québec. The charcuterie, granola bars and cheese produced here are among the local products with a more affordable price than equivalents from elsewhere.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
70.83%
According to the study conducted by Dalhousie University, in more than two-thirds of the food categories analyzed, either local products were priced as “competitively” as their counterparts from outside the province, or they were offered at lower cost. These results pleasantly surprised the general manager of Aliments du Québec, Isabelle Roy, who “didn’t expect the percentage to be so high”. She sees it as a way to present the purchase of Quebec products as a good way to save money when it comes to grocery shopping. “With the inflationary context, the price is on everyone’s lips,” she underlines. We wanted Quebec consumers to know that it was possible for them to buy locally without paying more. »
The categories
As part of this study conducted in January and February, 134 local products and 431 items from outside Quebec were combed through and divided into 48 categories. In the grocery section, for example, in 12 out of 22 categories, the “advantage” is given to Quebec products. Among them are salad dressing, jam, peanut butter and flour. In the dairy section, local cheese supplants external competition. As for fish and meat, in 50% of the categories, the cost of the product coming from outside the province is more advantageous. Bread, bagels, tortillas and other pitas from Quebec are sold at similar prices to others.
A Persistent Myth
For Isabelle Roy, these data could help change the perception that Quebec products are more expensive, a myth that has a hard skin. Nearly 54% of Quebecers would like to buy local more often, but feel they cannot afford it, according to figures revealed in May by Aliments du Québec. “That was really the goal of doing this study,” she says. We have been working at Aliments du Québec for several years to undo this perception. That’s what we’re going to go for in our next advertising campaigns. Here are the products where you have a competitive price offer. »
Mme Roy intends to commission more such studies at different times of the year. “It won’t take just one campaign to undo that perception. »
Currently, more than 25,000 products bear the Aliments du Québec or Aliments made in Québec seal, an increase of 15% in 2 years.
