Supply line let-down will continue
For baker Henry de Jong, one glaring indication that we are not yet out of the pandemic is a lack of lard.
The co-owner of two Waterloo locations of Sweet and Savoury Pie Company has had trouble sourcing the porcine product — instrumental to making delicious pies — and when he does find it, the price has skyrocketed.
“It’s been extremely difficult to navigate the last couple of years. Lard and shortening last year doubled in price without notice overnight,” de Jong said. “And when something runs out, it feels like weeks before it is restocked.”
A 20-kg box he paid $40 for is now $85. De Jong adds that flour and sugar — mainstays for a bakery — have increased 50 per cent in the last year. That means purchased goods will cost more for consumers, although he’s held off doing that until recently.
“We increased our prices just last week,” de Jong said.
With August now here, fall is looming; and the issue with supply shortages — both food and non-food — hasn’t receded according to area chefs, restaurateurs and food operators who obtain goods from different sources than you and I when we visit a grocery store.
For more on this story, visit CBC-KW.
