Ontario Agricultural College food economist Dr. Mike von Massow made international and national headlines discussing high food prices after an image of chicken breasts worth $37 went viral.  

Referring the findings of the latest Canada Food Price Report, von Massow told The New York Times that “while it’s easy to get angry at the grocer, there’s very little evidence that the grocers are actually taking advantage of the situation.”  

On air with CBC Radio’s Cost of Living with Paul Haavardsrud, von Massow said the current competition between Canada’s grocers, “makes it very difficult for a store to charge an excessive price or to gouge [consumers] for items that [they can] buy somewhere else.” 

Von Massow told CTV National News the sticker shock sparked by the chicken prices presents shoppers with an opportunity to re-evaluate their shopping habits and to look for alternatives.  On The Kelly Cutrara Show on AM 640 Toronto, von Massow explained how marketing and processing affect the price of chicken from farm to store. 

Writing on his blog, Food Focus, von Massow further explained the pricing issue.

A professor in the Department of Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics von Massow researches retail and restaurant food demand, supply chain management, and value chain structure and performance.