Sorry, we'd rather keep paving over farmland to make unaffordable mcmansions because our leaders cannot fathom a country that is self sufficient where values aren't constantly increasing

Landlords, mostly.

Galen Weston

Not to mention that a farmer's market vendors can just lie about the origin of their products.

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.4313073

I think people have to realize that capitalism has made us search for cheap over quality and nutrition when it comes to food.

Food is literally one of two things that keep us alive and thriving yet we balk at food that is slightly more expensive but much more nutritious, lasts much longer and requires less volume to feed one's self due to this nutrient density vs. Commercially grown food, that has been transported thousands of kilometers to your local store.

You can't afford the increase in price to buy quality food? That has nothing to do with the food, what or costs or what you should be buying or eating. It's capitalism keeping you part of the slave class and making you think grocery store prices are normal.

I have found that my local co-op has some great prices for some items and others that are more expensive but it depends on what I need to purchase. Their bulk teas are such a good deal and really the only place I can buy bulk teas. Their bulk goods are a good deal as well. Some of the fruit and vegetables are a good deal unless its not in season. Their bread (freshly made from a local bakery) tastes amazing and a great deal as well.

That being said I don't love their meat selection (smaller selection, more expensive but has a few gems), nor do I like to buy their boxed standard goods. Broths, snacks, canned goods or anything like that is more expensive and doesn't seem worth it for the quality difference. The key is to find a few anchors that get you there. I don't go as often to my co-op compared to my local trader joes.

Maybe as a nation, we shouldn't be letting profits get in the way of feeding people? Just a wild suggestion.

in the middle? you mean the middle who also owns the start and the end supply of almost everything?

AFAIK the retail side in Canada is also making significant profits. Those could be removed or significantly reduced from the prices of a public grocery store. This would decrease prices in the short term. The oligopoly could then increase their distribution side profit margins, forcing the public stores to increase prices. This would make a very strong case for the comprehensive public solution that also tackles distribution. If you tackle just distribution, there's nothing discouraging the retail side of the oligopoly from cranking up their profit margins immediately. In effect, retail prices wouldn't increase, but the oligopolies would absorb the decreased distribution price difference. Then they'd get their politicians to say - see gov't wasted billions on this scheme and nothing changed, time to scrap the public distribution company. Ideally a public option should tackle both retail and distribution in one go in order to realize lower prices curbing the oligopoly's ability to prevent that via the distribution or retail sides.

E: I guess the oligopoly could instantly increase distribution margins in the first scenario too. Independent grocers would probably scream, but I don't know if that would be a significant impediment. I think it would be more difficult for the oligopoly to instantly stop any price decrease due to retail profit elimination, but I'm not certain lower prices would hold long enough for the public to take notice and oppose the inevitable calls for dismantling public distribution. So yeah, a public option would most likely have to have public distribution to succeed.

Seriously. Owning the logistics and distribution would do more, probably. And even then not for everything. You have to assume for anything manufactured the cost would get shifted around.

Frankly, the biggest difference I see around me is living in a place where the producers get direct access to customers AND where foot traffic is king. I've gone back and forth from rural to urban living spaces and here in the rural area I am now the big game changer is you walk up to a market and buy from fishmongers that bought fresh fish directly at auction and grocers that got a lot of the produce directly from the producer/farmer. And then there's enough people around in a small enough space that you can go to a supermarket for the packaged product and to a market/grocer for the fresh or specialty product.

The model where people drive to a shop and expect to find everything in the same place is a nightmare for pricing on both ends of things.

Ever heard of a co-op? They usually deal directly with the providers. No middlemen.

Lol... That's a place where affluent people feel "authentic"

They are hardly cheap and that's the point

Modern farmers market is yuppie exercise