Simcoe County residents and others may have noticed an increase in their grocery bills as food inflation continues to take a toll. Beef is a significant factor driving up grocery bills, as both suppliers and producers continue to experience rising demand. Brandy Rafeek, the owner of Country Meat Cuts in Utopia, said the price continues to increase year over year. “In our 2025 January steak sales, sirloin steaks, one of our biggest sellers, were $16 a pound, and then this year in January of 2026, they were $22 a pound, which is obviously a big increase,” said Rafeek. “So, it’s rising astronomically every year.” The impact of rising prices is not limited to producers and consumers; suppliers are also experiencing difficulties in the beef market. Albert Carroll, general manager of Ontario Stockyards in Cookstown, said although it’s the highest prices he has ever seen, it’s not the highest profit. “We see diesel go up, fertilizers, and high cost to feed, and so even though the animals themselves are bringing lots of money, the farmers need it to make their margins,” said Carroll. He added generational cattle farms are also decreasing. “The average age of a farmer is higher and higher every year, and the price of land and commodities and crates of equipment—it’s really hard for young people to get in and get started,” said Carroll. “So naturally we’re going to see herds start to reduce until it becomes profitable for young people.” Sylvain Charlebois, an agriculture-food and analytics lab director at Dalhousie University, said a shortage of farmers is also the reason beef prices continue to rise. “A lot of producers are just cashing out, and they’re leaving the industry, or they’re not reinvesting in their herds at all, so our inventory is very low,” said Charlebois. “In fact, our herd size in Canada is the same as it was back in 1989, but we have 15 million more Canadians to feed, so obviously that’s putting a lot of pressure on the herd.” According to data released by ‘This is Canada’s Week,’ it’s not just beef that’s seeing an increase. “Beef, pork, and chicken—all of them are actually more expensive, with increases north of 8 per cent for all of them all at once,” said Charlebois. “And so beef is up 13.9 per cent and chicken is the big, big surprise, at 9.2 per cent.” Country Meat Cuts is doing what it can to help its customers, which includes teaching them when to buy product. “The biggest thing that we try to teach our customers is when to buy roasts; everyone wants a roast to be frozen in the winter, so we have a roast sale in August,” said Rafeek. “Steaks are in January as opposed to the summer.” You can save money on groceries directly from your cell phone by using food-rescuing apps, which can help you save an additional 70 to 80 per cent on select food items.
