The price of gas and diesel rose across Nova Scotia overnight, but the eighth rise in nine weeks will also drive up costs of food.

The farmers and transport workers all use fuel to grow food and get it to shops. When fuel costs more, they have to pass the costs along to consumers.

Fraser Hunter, an owner of Tony's Meats in Antigonish, said it adds to the price of items such as sausages.

"The hogs come from Shubenacadie and P.E.I., they are slaughtered, we look at packaging, processing, and then they go back on trucks," he said.

The hog feed, the slaughtering process, the plastic packaging and shipping of the final product are all based on petroleum.

"Our power bill at the plant has gone up by 50 per cent in the last year," Hunter said.

Time for an energy conversation

Hunter said that means Nova Scotians shouldn't just talk about gas, but need to have a conversation about energy too.

He is saving costs by outsourcing the trucking of the finished products, but that money still ultimately comes from the consumer.

"Whether it's a waste-management or trucking-company truck, there's always a fuel surcharge," he said.

Retail pricing is complex, Hunter said, so it's hard to put a number on how much fuel increases push up the cost of food. But when gas and diesel rise to $1.365 a litre, the cost of dinner rises too.