You would think, with increasing concerns about Canadians’ obesity and the dramatic rise in Type 2 diabetes, that the food industry would, to some degree, cater to this special market.
Not so our dairy cartel. Despite the fact that seven per cent of Canadians are diabetic, rising to 20 per cent among the elderly, competitively packaged and priced sugar-free ice cream is, sadly, no longer available.
Until recently, only Agropur, out of our three-member dairy monopoly, produced a sugar-free or “no sugar added” vanilla ice cream in a competitive 1.65-litre tub — one of 42 flavours on offer.
Last year, this became increasingly hard to find on freezer shelves, with stores saying they were unable to get the volumes they had ordered. Finally, supply stopped completely. An Agropur representative said the product had been discontinued because of “low demand.”
It seems to me that this “flavour” might well still be provided were this a freely competitive dairy market. Someone would fill demand. The cartel, of course, tunes its production for maximum profit, needing have no regard for its customer base. After all, where are we going to go? Australia? The United States? Not likely.
So, while many younger dairy customers fume mostly at having to pay prohibitive amounts for their children’s milk, us old folks now can’t get the product at all. Monopolies are a wonderful thing — for their millionaire owners.
Not so good for this old treat-less diabetic.
George Manning
Victoria
