Food For Thought – Dairy Prices

Welcome to this month’s post in the new Food for Thought blog on foodserviceandhospitality.com. Currently, we are looking for your thoughts on the upcoming dairy price increases, as announced by the Canadian Dairy Commission. Click the “Read More” button below to learn more about the issue and to leave us your comments.

Welcome to this month’s post in the new Food for Thought blog on foodserviceandhospitality.com. Currently, we are looking for your thoughts on the upcoming dairy price increases, as announced by the Canadian Dairy Commission and reported in the December 08, 2008 issue of The What’s On Report:

Dairy Prices to Go Up Again in February Despite CRFA Appeal

The Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC) has announced a revenue increase of one per cent or $0.74 per hectoliter (100 litres), effective February 1, 2009, for industrial milk used to make products such as yogurt, cheese, butter and skim milk powder. The support price for skim milk powder will increase from $6.1125 to $6.1783 per kg, and butter will increase from $7.0462 to $7.1024 per kg. The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) met with CDC just days before last week’s announcement, supported by video presentations from chain and independent restaurant operators. “Dairy prices have risen so high that restaurant owners are being forced to use less cheese and other dairy products,” CRFA said. Dairy prices have risen 57% in the last 14 years ‒sœ nearly twice the rate of inflation, CRFA reported, and pizzeria owners are forced to pay up to 30% more for their cheese than frozen pizzamakers do. “The CDC has turned their backs and a deaf ear on us,” Diana Coutu of Diana’s Gourmet Pizza, Winnipeg, MB told the CDC commissioners. “Independent pizzeria owners across the country have thrown up their hands in defeat and actively looked for substitutions for 100% dairy cheeses.” Don Webster of Fireside Restaurant, Halifax, N.S., said, “I’sve probably eliminated 50% of my dairy products in the kitchen. If [cheese] was more reasonably priced, I’sd use a lot more of it.” Ron Reaman, CRFA’s Vice-President, Federal, told the Commission, “Increases have resulted in Canada having some of the highest dairy prices in the world. Restaurant operators want to grow the market for Canada’s high-quality dairy products, but they simply can’st do it at current prices.”

Leave us your thoughts on this issue through the following 3 easy steps:

• Register for a user profile on this site by clicking here
• Once you are registered, log in using the “Login or Register” box on the right side of this page
• Fill out the comment form below to leave your comment.

All comments will be reviewed by our site moderator before being approved.