Shoppers getting ready for Easter are facing higher grocery bills, with rising prices for meat and chocolate forcing many to look for cheaper alternatives or scale back. At Pete and Gus Meat Market, owner Case De-Carlo says more customers are making changes, with some moving away from pricier options. “We’ve noticed people are a little more apprehensive on their Easter orders this time around,” he says. “This year I’m seeing people getting a lot more pork, hams, crown roasts and the likes of that.” De-Carlo says beef and poultry prices have climbed significantly over the past year, while pork has remained more stable, its year-over-year cost rising under 10 per cent. “The price of oil in particular has surged, and that increases the cost in every step of production,” says De-Carlo. “Until we see those prices come down, I would be careful in saying that we can expect costs to drop or anything of that sort.” Shoppers, like Eric Sheer, are noticing the impact. He says his holiday ham, which he purchased from Costco for nearly $9 per kilogram, costs around 10 per cent more than last year. “For us, Easter dinner is a shared family event,” he says. “Each member is in charge of preparing a dish. I’m responsible for the ham so it’s not that bad if it goes up a little bit.” It’s not just dinner that is driving costs higher. Chocolate prices have also surged, with supply pressures affecting quality in some cases. But stretching a budget does not have to mean a compromise on quality. “I’m seeing the costs go up, but I’m also seeing more filler ingredients go into the products, like palm oil, more sugar, and less cocoa,” says Wendy Petersen, owner of White Pine Chocolates. “Every day I make a decision, ‘do I continue to use top-quality products?’ And for me the answer is yes, absolutely.” Petersen says while it’s not always possible to absorb rising costs, this year she is offering a choice of smaller, hand-crafted Easter treats. “I really want people to love them so no matter what the cost I’m going to put the best quality into my products,” she says. “And having that experience of tasting something special and unique, and knowing that there is a lot of love put into it, both from the farm all the way to the chocolatier, I think that’s special, in that it makes a little luxury indulgence worthwhile.” It is expected that food costs will continue to trend upward into 2026, with little relief until global oil prices stabilize.
