Hélène's blog

It's official now.  For decades those who follow population trends could see that the big bubble in the middle, the middle class, was consistently shrinking.  More people and families were slipping into lower income sectors.  The lucky few were capturing more of the wealth.  Yes, the fond target of mass marketers is no longer where there is growth.  It has shrunk to the point that big name brands such as Proctor & Gamble and H.J.Heinz are now focusing their product mix on high and low end products.  And Canada's adept and market smart Loblaw is keeping pace launching Black Label products that would usually be found in high end gourmet shops.  For the Toronto indepth picture of income polarization I recommend reading The 3 Cities within Toronto prepared by Prof. David Hulchanski, Cities Centre, University of Toronto. 

There is much debate about the role of organic now that eaters have been drawn to buying locally produced items.  Some Canadian experts say that organic has peaked - higher price and lack of confidence were two purchase barriers.  However, the good news for organic food is that studies here and in the US indicate that people who shop at farmers' markets and other non-supermarket sources have more confidence in organic and are more willing to pay for it.   This is good news for the continued growth of shorter supply chains and local and organic (local) food.