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. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  3. 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

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