Canadians to see biggest price increase at restaurants over cooking oil shortage: expert
Canadians to see biggest price increase at restaurants over cooking oil shortage: expert
Poor harvests due to climate change, supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine have created food production shortages across the world, with cooking oil being the latest product impacted.
Sylvain Charlebois, Dalhousie University professor of food distribution and policy, told CTV's Your Morning on Wednesday that these factors have created the "perfect storm" for worldwide shortages, causing the price of cooking oil to skyrocket over the past six months.
While prices have been impacted at grocery stores, Charlebois says consumers will see the greatest increase when dining out at restaurants.
"I'm hearing from restaurant operators that they're likely going to see prices triple by the end of this year when it comes to vegetable oil. Food service is a big deal when it comes to vegetable oil in Canada… so don't be surprised if menu prices are impacted by that," he said.
Charlebois said consumers should prepare to spend more when dining at restaurants, and budget accordingly.
"I know a lot of people want to go out and should go out and celebrate and live a normal life, but it will cost you more at the restaurant for sure and vegetable oil prices are one of the main reasons unfortunately," he said.
In addition to climate change, COVID-19 supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine, Indonesia has started restricting exports of palm oil, in a move Charlebois says could make the global food crisis worse and push up the prices of hundreds of products.
Indonesia accounts for 55 per cent of palm oil exports globally, while Ukraine is the largest exporter of sunflower oil in the world.
"We often think about vegetable oil as something we fry with, but when you walk into the grocery store, there's vegetable oil in everything we buy almost," he said.
Charlebois said "vegetable oil is a key ingredient around the world" and can be found in foods such as pasta, cookies, chocolate, mayonnaise, and many dry and baked goods.
With restrictions on palm oil and shortages of other cooking oils, Charlebois says companies will be increasing the prices of those goods that contain vegetable oil to offset acquiring costs.
"We're going to be short vegetable oil, and of course, around the world prices are going to rise unfortunately," he said.
To help combat this shortage of cooking oils, Charlebois said Canada will be looking to use canola oil as a "bumper crop" this season. However, he says poor weather may stifle this plan.
"There's not a whole lot of moisture out west right now. Of course in Manitoba there are floods... but if you go to Alberta and Saskatchewan things are pretty dry, which is not great news for canola growers," he said.
Overall, Charlebois said the outlook is grim and said it is a "good idea" for Canadians to use alternatives to vegetable oils when they can.
"It's not great and that's why we wanted to make a statement right now so people can be prepared," he said.
A 'truly innocent' engaged couple was shot dead while attempting to flee their attacker outside their home after a landlord-tenant dispute escalated on Saturday night, according to police.
Farmers in Atlantic Canada are growing increasingly worried about drought, as many regions on the east coast have been classified as drier than usual for this time of year, with little rain in the forecast.
Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won reelection Sunday, extending his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade in a country reeling from high inflation and the aftermath of an earthquake that levelled entire cities.
Both Smith and Notley agree the vote will be one of the most consequential in decades, featuring two leaders in their 50s who have been both premier and Opposition leader.
The historic impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was just the first round of a Republican brawl over whether to banish one of their own in America's biggest red state after years of criminal accusations.
Less than two months after he pleaded guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol, Texas resident Daniel Goodwyn appeared on Tucker Carlson's then-Fox News show and promoted a website where supporters could donate money to Goodwyn and other rioters whom the site called 'political prisoners.'
Convicted murderer Daniel Jolivet, in prison for the past 30 years, has maintained his innocence since the day he was arrested. W5 reviews the evidence he painstakingly assembled while behind bars.
W5 Producer Shelley Ayres explains how she was in awe to meet what the Guinness Book of World Record's has named the World's Tallest Teenager, a 17-year-old from Quebec who plays for Team Canada.
CTV W5 investigates what authorities knew about plans to smuggle cocaine out of the Dominican Republic on a Toronto-bound Pivot Airlines flight. The airline's crew is demanding justice following their eight-month detention.
Gordie Sampson has written hit songs for some of the biggest names in country music, including Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan. CTV W5 speaks with the Grammy winner from small-town Nova Scotia about his creative process.
A CTV W5 investigation reveals that a critical shortage of volunteer firefighters in this country is having a potentially deadly impact, especially in rural Canada.
Sandie Rinaldo tells the story of the largest Black military unit in Canadian history, whose members had to fight to serve for Canada in the First World War as they faced rampant racism at home.
A 'truly innocent' engaged couple was shot dead while attempting to flee their attacker outside their home after a landlord-tenant dispute escalated on Saturday night, according to police.
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and several councillors will outline the 2023 construction season projects during a media conference on Slater Street at 10:30 a.m., including potential traffic impacts.
There was an entire operation set up by the Ottawa Hospital, only steps from the finish line for Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend with more than 100 health professionals ready for anything that could go wrong this weekend.
More than 200 passengers were stuck on a VIA Rail train near Alexandria, Ont. for several hours Sunday evening, after a mechanical issue stopped the train.
On Tuesday, Minden, Ont. business owners will plead to the Ford government to grant the community a one-year moratorium on the closure ahead of the June 1 planned closure date.
A "community-led" referendum is asking thousands of Ontarians to weigh in on whether the privatization of the province's healthcare system is good for the future.
Rania Mukhtar is still processing her recent trip to Sudan, which was interrupted by the outbreak of military conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Ager Hasan being found guilty of second-degree murder, a Cambridge woman climbing Mount Everest, and free tuition for some First Nations students round out the most-read stories of the week.
A 'truly innocent' engaged couple was shot dead while attempting to flee their attacker outside their home after a landlord-tenant dispute escalated on Saturday night, according to police.
The Ontario Health Coalition started a referendum in April, asking people to choose whether they want public hospital services privatized to for-profit hospitals and clinics.
A change in venue has the Dare 2B Challenged event running in the right direction. 250 people took part in the all-female event Sunday morning at Holiday Beach
A Laval, Que. family says a crosswalk in front of their house is an accident waiting to happen. They say too many cars don't stop, leading them to worry each time their child has to cross the street. "It's as if it's not even there," said resident Chris Horell, who lives near to the intersection of Saint-Martin Blvd W and Dutrisac St.
Two women are dead and three people, including children, are injured after a head-on vehicle crash in Quebec's Eastern Townships on Saturday night. The collision occurred at about 11:45 p.m. near Farnham, about 60 kilometres southeast of Montreal.
With hot weather forecasted across Quebec this week, the province's forest fire agency is advising the public not to light outdoor fires until at least Thursday.
Halifax Regional Municipality Mayor Mike Savage declared a local state of emergency late Sunday evening as fire crews continue to battle a fire in Upper Tantallon.
Residents in Point Douglas say their area has become a dumping ground for the rest of the city's unwanted garbage, and want more done to get rid of the piles of trash accumulating in the central-Winnipeg neighbourhood.
Both Smith and Notley agree the vote will be one of the most consequential in decades, featuring two leaders in their 50s who have been both premier and Opposition leader.
Thousands of runners laced up their shoes and toed the line for the 59th annual Calgary Marathon Calgary Marathon on Sunday, including a 92-year-old rookie, a pair of world record setting runners handcuffed to each other, and a Ukrainian runner who paid tribute to her homeland.
After spending some time in Calgary over the weekend, NDP leader Rachel Notley wrapped up her campaign today with two rallies on the way home to Edmonton ahead of election day.
Fire activity in Alberta picked up overnight Saturday, with Alberta Wildfire counting 57 wildfires Sunday afternoon, including 17 which were classified as out of control.
Friends, family and supporters met at the bottom of Walterdale Hill for a walk honouring Lauren Jarvis and to raise money for the Victims of Homicide Support Society.
A survey by Vancouver city staff has concluded that SROs, or single room occupancy buildings — often deemed a last resort for housing — are becoming increasingly unaffordable for those on income assistance.
On Monday, West Vancouver mayor and council will vote on a motion to name a new fitness park after Keen Lau, who drowned while trying to save Labrador Loki from Cypress Creek. And they will hear from Loki’s dog walker Sandra Smith, who is advocating for changes to the creek.
One of the so-called godfathers of artificial intelligence says governments need to move faster on regulations to protect against the dangers of the rapidly advancing technology, before it poses a larger threat to humanity.
With just four weeks left until the House of Commons breaks for the summer, the weekly panel of political strategists on CTV's Question Period says it's likely time for the prime minister to shuffle his cabinet.
Almost a year before the closure of 24 Sussex Drive due to disrepair and an infestation of rodents, the chairman of the National Capital Commission's board of directors warned that further delaying a cabinet decision on the fate of the residence would put the whole structure at risk.
Allergies in both children and adults have definitely been on the rise over the last several years, much of the rise in allergies and asthma 'can be directly linked to climate change,' experts say.
It is a world wrapped in mystery - the seventh planet from the sun, Uranus, seen up close just once nearly four decades ago by a passing NASA probe and still warily guarding its secrets.
Egypt unearthed human and animal mummification workshops as well as two tombs in the ancient burial ground of Saqqara, officials said on Saturday, marking the latest in a string of discoveries that the country hopes can help revive its vital tourism industry.
France confirmed its aim to launch a vaccination program against bird flu in the autumn after results from a series of tests on the vaccination of ducks showed 'satisfactory effectiveness,' the farm ministry said.
Several Jewish groups, politicians and an alliance of civil society groups gathered for a memorial ceremony and a protest rally against a concert by Roger Waters in Frankfurt on Sunday evening.
Dedicated fans of 'Succession' are locking in plans to watch the whopping 88-minute finale while turning online for emotional support, memes and endless theories about how the show could end and who will prevail.
Mortgage delinquencies are expected to rise by more than one-third of current levels over the next year, according to some economists. If you anticipate being unable to make your payments and decide to sell your home, here's what an expert says you should consider.
A new report is casting doubt on the idea that Canada is facing a widespread labour shortage and bolsters the arguments by some labour economists that high job vacancies aren't due to a shortage of workers.
As Elizabeth Holmes prepares to report to prison next week, the criminal case that laid bare the blood-testing scam at the heart of her Theranos startup is entering its final phase.
It's a joyous day for Eve, resident falcon at the Université de Montreal: her babies are hatching. The event is being live-streamed on Sunday from a nest box atop the 23rd floor of a tower on campus.
Pajaree Anannarukarn of Thailand capped off the longest week on the LPGA Tour with a 3-and-1 victory Sunday to win the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play over Ayaka Furue of Japan.
The Toronto Blue Jays took another step toward a turnaround at the end of a rough month, posting their first series win in four ties in well-rounded fashion.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's most famous endurance race, will be open to hydrogen-powered cars starting in 2026, Pierre Fillon, the president of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, said Saturday.
A Tennessee company is refusing demands from U.S. regulators to recall millions of vehicles due to airbag inflators that can explode and shoot shrapnel into drivers. While cases are rare, there has been at least one death in Canada, where officials lack the authority to demand a similarly sweeping recall.
Defending Formula One champion Max Verstappen produced a superb final lap to take pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday and deny Aston Martin veteran Fernando Alonso his first pole in 11 years.
