The cost of almost everything in the grocery store continued to rise to raise the annual inflation rate in April.

The Canadian Statistics Agency said on Wednesday that the Consumer Price Index for April rose by 6.8 percent compared to last year, up from a gain of 6.7 percent in March.

The rate was the highest since January 1991 when the annual rate was 6.9 percent.

Total food costs rose by 8.8 percent compared to last year, while Canadians paid 9.7 percent more for food in stores in April, the largest increase since September 1981. The cost of food in restaurants rose by 6.6 percent.

Compared to last year, the cost of fresh fruit rose by 10 percent, fresh vegetables increased by 8.2 percent, and the cost of meat rose by 10.1 percent. The cost of bread rose by 12.2 percent, while pasta increased by 19.6 percent, and rice added 7.4 percent.

The Canadian Statistics Agency said the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February led to rising price pressures on food products that use wheat, while adverse weather in growing regions affected food prices.

The agency also said that rising prices of things like fertilizers and natural gas continued to increase costs for farmers who bore some of these expenses.

The overall increase in cost of living also contributed to a 7.4 percent rise in housing costs with the rising cost of home heating. Natural gas rose by 22.2 percent and fuel oil and other fuels by 64.4 percent.

Compared to last year, consumers paid 36.3 percent more for gasoline in April, but the increase was less than the annual gain of 39.8 percent in March.

Excluding gasoline, the annual rate for April was 5.8 percent compared to an annual gain of 5.5 percent for March.

The average of the three core inflation measures closely monitored by the Bank of Canada rose to 4.23 percent in April compared to 3.93 percent in March.