In the supermarket, more than every second local product is just as expensive or cheaper than the competition from abroad.
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This is the conclusion reached by the Aliments du Québec organization after a study of 100 local products carried out in the autumn and published on Thursday.
“It’s still not that bad, local products are quite competitive,” says the leader of the study, Sylvain Charlebois of Dalhousie University.
According to the study, in 55.6% of the categories examined, it was more advantageous to choose the product from Quebec.
Bagels, fresh pasta, granola bars, peanut butter, or frozen pizza—local produce that is cheaper than the competition can be found in all aisles.
However, certain nuances are necessary. First, this is the second study of its kind, and the first showed a 70.83% endorsement rate for local products.
So from here we see a decrease in the competitiveness of the products. “My hypothesis is that fall inflation made sales of local produce unbalanced,” said the scientific director of the Dalhousie Agrifood Laboratory for Analytical Sciences.
More details to come.