Food industry groups object to proposed B.C. chicken price increase

Restaurants Canada is urging the British Columbia government to intervene in a proposed increase to the farm-level price of chicken in the province. Workers process chickens in Fremont, Neb., in a Dec.12, 2019 file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Nati Harnik

Restaurants Canada is urging the British Columbia government to intervene in a proposed change to the farm-level price of chicken the group says would raise consumer prices by 10 per cent.

The B.C. Chicken Marketing Board is proposing a new pricing formula to determine the live price of chicken in the province, which is currently awaiting approval.

Restaurants Canada is one of several food industry associations sounding the alarm about the marketing board's proposal, which it says in a press release would be "untenable" for restaurants and for consumers.

Estimates for what the formula change would amount to vary, but Restaurants Canada claims chicken prices would go up by an average of 10 per cent for consumers.

Restaurants Canada, as well as the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors and the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, wrote to the tribunal considering the change in December, urging it not to accept the proposal.

The situation illustrates the pressure that all levels of the food industry are under to keep prices stable for consumers.  

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2024.