Groceries

The federal New Democrats want a price cap on grocery store staples if the Liberal government can’t convince grocers to bring down the prices themselves. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Monday, June 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

NDP shop hard for Canadian grocery cap, Liberals say it won’t work

Enforced ceiling on food staples being served up as a way to protect consumers

 

A customer browses an aisle at a Metro grocery store In Toronto on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. As Canadian consumers have increasingly soured on the major grocers, the country’s competition watchdog has turned its sight on restrictive clauses in retail leases that it says are hampering competition in the grocery sector. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Canada’s grocery competition hampered by lease restrictions: experts

Property controls over who can operate nearby a major barrier to new stores

 

A No Frills store is shown in Toronto on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Joe O’Connal

Loblaw boycott organizers say they plan to keep movement going past May

Movement began after thousands joined Reddit group to vent about food prices

 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says with the biggest Canadian grocer now on board, the grocery code of conduct is much more likely to succeed. Shoppers browse goods in the produce section of a Toronto Loblaws on Friday, May 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Loblaw’s participation in grocery code ‘a big step in the right direction’: Trudeau

Loblaw agreed to sign on after months of negotiations on clarification

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says with the biggest Canadian grocer now on board, the grocery code of conduct is much more likely to succeed. Shoppers browse goods in the produce section of a Toronto Loblaws on Friday, May 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
A sign is displayed in front of Health Canada headquarters in Ottawa on Friday, January 3, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Western Family yogurt, chocolate pretzels recalled over possible salmonella

Pretzels are sold in British Columbia and possibly other provinces and territories

A sign is displayed in front of Health Canada headquarters in Ottawa on Friday, January 3, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
FILE - A youngster collects Easter eggs during an egg hunt at Easterfest at the Bowling Green Ballpark in Bowling Green, Ky., April 8, 2023. In 2024, for the second year in a row consumers have faced sticker shock ahead of Easter and Passover, events in which eggs play prominent roles. (Grace Ramey/Daily News via AP, File)

Eggs going to cost you this Easter thanks to bird flu, weather, inflation

Worldwide egg prices retreating some, but you still should prepare for sticker shock

FILE - A youngster collects Easter eggs during an egg hunt at Easterfest at the Bowling Green Ballpark in Bowling Green, Ky., April 8, 2023. In 2024, for the second year in a row consumers have faced sticker shock ahead of Easter and Passover, events in which eggs play prominent roles. (Grace Ramey/Daily News via AP, File)
The majority of British Columbians in a March 2024 Research Co. poll say they’re spending more on groceries now than in 2020. In this file photo, a customer shops in a grocery store in Wheeling, Ill., Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Half of British Columbians finding it hard to ‘make ends meet,’ poll finds

Housing, groceries and transportation some of the spending areas residents are most concerned about

The majority of British Columbians in a March 2024 Research Co. poll say they’re spending more on groceries now than in 2020. In this file photo, a customer shops in a grocery store in Wheeling, Ill., Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Rows of fresh cut beef in the coolers of the retail section at the Wight’s Meat Packing facility in Fombell, Pa. is shown on June 16, 2022. Canada’s federal government as well as organizations representing some the nation’s beef producers warn a decision south of the border about “Product of USA” labels on meat, poultry and eggs could disrupt supply chains. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Keith Srakocic
Rows of fresh cut beef in the coolers of the retail section at the Wight’s Meat Packing facility in Fombell, Pa. is shown on June 16, 2022. Canada’s federal government as well as organizations representing some the nation’s beef producers warn a decision south of the border about “Product of USA” labels on meat, poultry and eggs could disrupt supply chains. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Keith Srakocic
Canada’s biggest grocers are investing money and space in discount stores like No Frills, Food Basics and FreshCo as shoppers look for ways to save on food. A customer pushes a shopping cart full of groceries from a NoFrills grocery store, in Toronto, on Thursday, November 23, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Major grocers expanding discount footprint as Canadians keep budgets tight

Grocery giants investing more in their cheaper stores, such as No Frills, Food Basics and FreshCo

Canada’s biggest grocers are investing money and space in discount stores like No Frills, Food Basics and FreshCo as shoppers look for ways to save on food. A customer pushes a shopping cart full of groceries from a NoFrills grocery store, in Toronto, on Thursday, November 23, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh points to a $20 pack of cheese during a visit to a Loblaws grocery store in Ottawa, which he believes is a reflection of grocery chains price gouging consumers on Wednesday Feb. 21, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mickey Djuric

Singh vs. Weston: the battle for control of Canada’s grocery aisles

NDP leader on a crusade to bring down ‘corporate greed’ in the country’s supermarkets

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh points to a $20 pack of cheese during a visit to a Loblaws grocery store in Ottawa, which he believes is a reflection of grocery chains price gouging consumers on Wednesday Feb. 21, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mickey Djuric
Pierre Riel, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Costco Wholesale International and Canada, waits to appear as a witness at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI) in Ottawa on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle

Costco tells Ottawa it is already lowering prices and mitigating increases

Wholesale giant latest firm called before the House of Commons to talk grocery prices

Pierre Riel, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Costco Wholesale International and Canada, waits to appear as a witness at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI) in Ottawa on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle
Anna Stegink, owner and operator of online grocer Eat Impact, poses for a photograph at the company’s warehouse in Barrie, Ont., on Thursday, February 8, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

B.C. shoppers turning to ugly produce in bid to battle inflation

Lumpy cucumbers and blemished tomatoes making their way onto people’s plates across Canada

Anna Stegink, owner and operator of online grocer Eat Impact, poses for a photograph at the company’s warehouse in Barrie, Ont., on Thursday, February 8, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
Experts say instead of enticing a foreign grocer to come to Canada, Ottawa should look at ways to support smaller and regional grocery companies to boost competition. Produce is shown at a Toronto grocery store on Sunday, June 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

Feds should boost grocery competition at home, not seek outsider: experts

The government should be focused on helping the Canadian industry, says a former Loblaw executive

Experts say instead of enticing a foreign grocer to come to Canada, Ottawa should look at ways to support smaller and regional grocery companies to boost competition. Produce is shown at a Toronto grocery store on Sunday, June 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
A Rogers Sugar worker rides his bicycle near the refinery while on strike in Vancouver, on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Sweet deal? Tentative agreement reached in prolonged B.C. Rogers Sugar strike

About 140 workers at Vancouver refinery have been off the job since late September

A Rogers Sugar worker rides his bicycle near the refinery while on strike in Vancouver, on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
Restaurants Canada is urging the British Columbia government to intervene in a proposed increase to the farm-level price of chicken in the province. Workers process chickens in Fremont, Neb.in a Dec.12, 2019 file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Nati Harnik

Playing chicken? New poultry price scheme has B.C. restaurants clucking

Industry says proposed plant will mean a 10% price hike for consumers

Restaurants Canada is urging the British Columbia government to intervene in a proposed increase to the farm-level price of chicken in the province. Workers process chickens in Fremont, Neb.in a Dec.12, 2019 file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Nati Harnik
The interim board for the grocery code of conduct has sent a progress report to the federal, territorial and provincial agriculture ministers that it says marks a transition to the next phase of the code. A meat counter in a grocery store is seen in Montreal, on Thursday, April 30, 2020.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Canadian grocery code of conduct delayed by major company holdouts

‘Without the full participation of all major grocers, (code) would create an unlevel playing field’

The interim board for the grocery code of conduct has sent a progress report to the federal, territorial and provincial agriculture ministers that it says marks a transition to the next phase of the code. A meat counter in a grocery store is seen in Montreal, on Thursday, April 30, 2020.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
People shop in a grocery store in Montreal, Wednesday, November 16, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

As grocer profits double, Ottawa accelerates pressure for code of conduct

Reports says retailers took advantage of pandemic and its aftermath to increase their profits

People shop in a grocery store in Montreal, Wednesday, November 16, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
A worker restocks shelves in the bakery and bread aisle at an Atlantic Superstore grocery in Halifax, Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. Canada Bread, which earlier this year admitted to price-fixing says in new court filings that any anti-competitive behaviour it may have participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Clark

Canada Bread points finger at Maple Leaf in alleged price-fixing scheme

Maple Leaf calls allegations in bread supplier’s court filing ‘baseless’

A worker restocks shelves in the bakery and bread aisle at an Atlantic Superstore grocery in Halifax, Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. Canada Bread, which earlier this year admitted to price-fixing says in new court filings that any anti-competitive behaviour it may have participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kelly Clark
Food prices will keep rising in 2024, though at a slower pace, according to a closely followed food price report from four Canadian universities. Produce at a grocery store in Toronto on June 26. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

Grocery prices will continue to climb in Canada, but not as quickly: report

University study predicts food prices will rise between 2.5 and 4.5 % next year

Food prices will keep rising in 2024, though at a slower pace, according to a closely followed food price report from four Canadian universities. Produce at a grocery store in Toronto on June 26. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
New Democrat MP Alistair MacGregor says he has reviewed the major grocers' plans to stabilize prices and was unimpressed by what was in them. MacGregor rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Industry plan to slow grocery prices leaves B.C. critic ‘unimpressed’

B.C. NDP MP and agriculture critic says ‘confidential’ plan already showing up in grocery flyers

New Democrat MP Alistair MacGregor says he has reviewed the major grocers' plans to stabilize prices and was unimpressed by what was in them. MacGregor rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang