18 February 2011

The price of food in the high arctic

The photos embedded above are from a set of nine posted this week at (Canadian) CBC News, highlighting the jaw-dropping cost of food in the arctic regions of Canada.
These grocery shelves in the High Arctic community of Arctic Bay, Nunavut, have people talking this week — $38 for cranberry cocktail, $29 for Cheez Whiz, and a whopping $77 for a bag of breaded chicken.
The article goes on to discuss the effects of a change in the food subsidy program for the region; what it reminds me of is stories of how, during the gold rushes in California and Alaska, great wealth was accumulated - by those who sold eggs and food staples to the miners.

Via J-Walk.

3 comments:

  1. JDJarvisFebruary 18, 2011 at 9:56 PM

    An acquaintance of mine taught in a tin shack town above the arctic circle during the mid 70's. A cheeseburger went for something like twelve dollars back,. That's be about $44.00 in current funds.

    High prices far from where the food is produced is nothing new.

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  2. bingoFebruary 19, 2011 at 2:28 AM

    The price of booze too:

    http://www.freedominion.com.pa/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=1293124

    $40 of superjuice (approx 20% alc/vol)costs about 25 cents to produce. There is a similar mark-up in taxes on all alcohol in Canada.

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  3. Cathy MFebruary 19, 2011 at 4:53 PM

    Geez Louise!!!

    Not only do you get to freeze your butt off, but you pay through the nose just to stay alive.

    I'll stay in Florida, thanks.

    ReplyDelete