SAINT JOHN, N.B. – Eating meat in 2013 will cost you more, which concerns the president of the New Brunswick Association of Food Banks.

The price of meat is expected to rise 8% to 10% in the new year.

George Piers says rising meat costs usually means a larger strain on food banks around the province.

“Whenever we receive calls about donations, often we can tell them meat, meat products, canned meats especially”

An annual hunger count, conducted by the association, shows a thousand more people used New Brunswick food banks in 2012 than in 2011, which is double the dependency on food banks than in 2009.