A new survey tracking the cost of a standard grocery basket across the country found regional price gaps wider than at any point in the past decade.
Northern and remote communities continue to pay the steepest premiums, driven largely by transportation costs and limited retail competition.
“Freight subsidies have not kept pace with actual shipping costs,” said one policy analyst who worked on the report, calling for a review of existing subsidy formulas.
Retailers operating in the affected regions say margins in those markets remain thin despite the higher shelf prices, citing the cost of maintaining supply chains over long distances.
