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CHARLOTTETOWN - Rising energy costs are being blamed for an impending hike in the minimum wholesale price of fluid milk and cream products in P.E.I.

On Sept. 1 they will jump by two cents a litre. The P.E.I. Marketing Council says the increases are intended to help offset increases in energy and packaging costs.

Fluid milk products include homogenized milk, 2 per cent milk, 1 per cent milk, skim milk and chocolate milk.

Fluid cream products include blend, table cream and whipping cream.

Bev McKay has lived in communities across Canada, including in British Columbia and Ontario, and says she has never seen the price of milk as high as it is throughout the Maritimes.

McKay said the price of milk stood out like a sore thumb when she looked at her first grocery receipt from the East Coast.

"We were stunned," said McKay, who lives part of the year in western P.E.I. and the rest in Halifax.

"I couldn't believe the price of milk. I would say what's in your milk. They would look at me as if I had two heads. I said you must have gold in your milk because I've never seen such milk prices in my life."

Murray Myles, a marketing officer with the P.E.I. Marketing Council, which approves milk price increases in this province, said farmers were looking for a larger increase but the marketing council felt the two cents a litre was enough.