Is this grocery haul worth $95? Ontario Reddit post drives discussion on grocery prices and food inflation

What does $95 in groceries look like? One Reddit user who shared a photo of their haul under the caption This was $95" has started a discussion around how pricy it is to shop for food in Ontario.

The latest reports from Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab show that in 2022, a family of four in Canada can expect to spend almost a thousand dollars more on food in 2022 than in 2021. Experts say climate change and supply chain disruptions will cause food prices will rise at an even faster pace in 2022, particularly for restaurants and dairy products.

The post made on Wednesday in Ontario's subreddit has amassed more than 2,800 comments - many criticizing the user's choices to buy brand name" products like Balderson cheese and Lindt chocolate instead of learning how to spend efficiently or unbranded products.

The cheese is Baldersons and is quite good. 15 bucks for that block as well," a Reddit user commented.

Bagged salad! That's a rookie move man," another comment read.

Let's take a look at the full haul. Visible in the photo is bagged salad, as the user pointed out, three packs of Lindt salted dark chocolate, two boxes of cream cheese, a pack of $8 ham, ketchup, cat litter, individual cans of cat food, cat treats, bacon, Balderson cheddar cheese, a three-pack of bagged peppers, two Dempster Pumpernickel loafs, a pack of Dempster Everything Bagels and Lays Original chips.

In response, another user has posted their own grocery photo. This was $34.86 - a juxtaposition to the ridiculous $95.00 post," the caption read. The photo shows the user bought two boxes of beef broth, two boxes of chicken broth, two packs of Prime chicken thighs, a bag of carrots, a bag of celery, a bag of onions, a pack of cremini mushrooms and a jar of antipasto spread.

The original post has also led to an entire page of This was $95" jokes on the subreddit - for example, one that shows a picture of $95 in Canadian bills, and in another, a photo of Canadian-American actor Nathan Fillion rocking a 95' roller skates and headband look.

While the jokes continue to pour in, other users are finding comfort in knowing they share the pain about rising food costs.

You 100 per cent hit the nail on the head. We should be able to afford a couple chocolate bars and cheese without feeling guilty about it," a comment read.

Evelyn Kwong is a Star team editor based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @evystadium