Soaring food prices have changed the way we buy groceries. But at what cost?

She notes when the cost of living increases, food is often the first place people cut back. In the daytime, Senneker works at Starbucks, where an employee discount gets them 30 per cent off an egg bite or pastry. A November report from the Daily Bread Food Bank found Toronto food banks received an unprecedented 1.68 million visits from April 2021 to March 2022, with each passing month breaking a new record. It’s upsetting that it’s often cheaper for them to buy premade food than to cook at home. “Why am I not able to buy the ingredients for cheaper, when I’m adding all the labour myself?” they ask.