Lobster profiteering?
Friday, June 5, 2009 | 12:39 PM ET
by Kevin Yarr, CBCNews.ca
All year I've been writing about the crash in lobster prices, and all year people have been commenting on my stories that retailers are taking advantage of low prices on the wharf to rack up big profits.
Since Mother's Day, a big lobster-eating day that typically boosts the price a little, prices on the wharves for lobster on P.E.I. have been pretty consistent at $2.75 a pound ($6.05/kg)
So is it true? I can't claim to be an expert in food retailing, but I have done a little research on prices along the chain and here's what I've learned. You can take a closer look at how it plays out across the country on this map.
In an effort to stoke demand and perhaps improve prices, the Town of Georgetown, P.E.I. is offering to courier fresh, cooked lobster to anywhere in the country (providing overnight delivery is possible). It is buying direct from processors at $11.22/kg, and direct billing for courier service.
On the map you'll find a random sampling of prices from grocery stores across the country, along with some estimates of delivery through Georgetown for each province.
My apologies to Manitobans. I couldn't find a store there selling whole lobsters. Do tell if you know of one.
The prices more or less break down into two zones across the country: $17.60/kg in the east and about $22/kg in the west for cooked lobster. The difference in price between lobster in the stores and that available from Georgetown is pretty consistent at about $5/kg.
So, are these mark ups reasonable? You tell me.
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Amber Hildebrandt writes for CBCNews.ca in Toronto. Growing up on a farm in Manitoba, she acquired an insatiable appetite, but it was during a stint in Japan that she developed her discerning tastebuds and "foodie" ways.
Andrea Chiu is an associate producer at CBC Radio Digital. Though she loves to eat, cook and discuss food,
don't ask her to bake. It never turns out well. She tweets as @TOfoodie on Twitter and organizes food and wine events in Toronto called FoodieMeet.
Tara Kimura is the consumer life reporter for CBCNews.ca, covering a wide range of issues that range from rising food costs and the growing organic movement, to new trends in the marketplace.
Andree Lau is a CBC web reporter in Calgary. Her journalism career includes seven years as a CBC-TV reporter. Her own blog called "are you gonna eat that?" chronicles her eating adventures (including sampling snake and camel hoof tendon).
Jessica Wong is a CBCNews.ca writer who loves to eat and cook, as well as discuss, read and watch programming about food, sometimes all at once.
Kevin Yarr, CBCNews.ca's writer in Prince Edward Island, wrote about food and beer for national and regional magazines before joining the CBC. He acquired a desire for new tastes on his first trip to Europe, and an appreciation of eating locally and in season when he finally settled down on P.E.I.
Elizabeth Bridge is a writer with the CBC Digital Archives in Toronto. She first ventured into the kitchen as a child to indulge a sweet tooth by baking cookies and making fudge. A student budget compelled her to be a vegetarian (for a while) and instilled in her an ongoing curiosity about food and cooking.
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Comments
Ed
Winnipeg
Sobeys In winnipeg by Kenaston sells fresh lobster.
Posted June 9, 2009 03:40 PM
George Carr
Kelowna
So it appears from far off Kelowna that someone is packing more then ice when pricing the poor lobster. I love the stuff but have given up on paying 20 bucks for a average tail. Come on U down homers let's cut out those Toronto based dealers the figure it is their right to double the price before letting it move west.
Posted June 9, 2009 04:49 PM
John Harrington
The independent lobster fisherman are the ones losing here. And they are the ones that take the risks catching these incredible creatures. It has ,in the past, been controlled by supply and demand. I do not see how these retailers can offer these prices. Greed is the only explaination. For decades I have gone to restaurants, and fish stores and have always seen the price of lobsters marked as "Market". What are these stores and restaurants advertising now? As for consumers stop purchasing lobsters until they go on sale and the profits are evenly distributed. Keep this industry in the hands of the people, and help to sustain this East Coast lobster industry. Lobstermans livelyhoods are at stake.
Posted June 10, 2009 12:07 PM