Wow Tony, those food prices are shocking. Did a quick survey here just to compare, as I walked out of Costco yesterday with a fully cooked chicken for $7.99 Cdn....@ U$5.90
Admittely it is a loss leader for Costco, it gets people into Costco, but it did spur me to find Walmart here is selling fresh whole chicken for $8.99 or @ U$6.65
And the closest thing I could find on our local KFC menu for $47.30 Cdn = U$35 was a meal that supposedly feeds 9 people

Chicken producers have greater marketing power in the US???? Dunno. But lobby power and pliant politicians must carry most of the blame IMO. Not good if you are on a fixed income. So rant on there my friend.

Do know that milk and cheese and such is far more expensive here...due to government dairy industry support, and alcohol, gasoline, cigarettes etc prices are more expensive here due to taxes...don't smoke, but I do drive and do enjoy the occasional glass\botttle of wine....I have taken to non alcoholic beer in a big way and that is not taxed, but gets priced as if it does. .

And thank your lumber lobby for your lumber prices. They effectively keep Canadian lumber out of your market, except for amounts allowed in under significant tarriffs...because Canada can produce things like framing lumber far more cheaply than US producers can. Our "softwood lumber dispute" goes back decades, and despite US treatment being found illegal under NAFTA and WTO tribunals, it seems the US is bowing down to lumber interests in the US and not caring they are ruled to be in the wrong.

Using a similar "dumping" argument, Boeing went up against our Bombardier because it was about to eat its lunch on narrow body fuel efficient jets....Boeing was working on its own version (the infamous Boeing 737 Max) but was not ready for market......so the US protected its own by imposing a 220% tariff on 70 some planes ordered by Delta. Led to Bombardier selling its jet program to Europe's Airbus as its A220 which has been highly successful....while the 737 Max has been grounded now for the second time...two software related fatal crashes in 2019 (grounded the plane for 2 years) and recent blown out doors (grounded the jet once again) suggest it still is not....

Meanwhile, everyone has their hands in our pockets for as much money as they can extract...just the way things are...

If writing ever becomes work I think I'm going to have to stop