WHAT DO WE PROPOSE?

We seek legislation that will rein in the retail food industry. Canada’s food supply is largely controlled by three corporations: Loblaw (28%); Sobeys (20%); Metro (11%). In addition, two international retailers – Costco at 9% and Walmart at 8% – have significant influence. Together these companies control more than ¾ of the food available in the Canadian market. 

We propose a federal body that can regulate the industry with powers that include (but may not be limited to):

Investigating with greater regularity instances of unclear and/or misleading product labelling and levying stiffer fines against offenders; this will eliminate false labelling of products as Canadian and mandate accurate illustrations of products on packaging[1] 
Preventing the practice of “shrinkflation”, in which the size of products is marginally reduced while the price remains static;
Mandating that the unit price – the truest indication of whether a particular product and/or format is good value – is more clearly visible on price tabs on shelves;
Outlawing the practice of AI pricing[2] in all grocery stores;
Guaranteeing that price increases do not outstrip inflation.
Recent polls make clear that Canadians see affordability as among the most crucial political issues in Canada. Food pricing is one of the key components in ensuring that citizens are able to make ends meet. 

Unfortunately, the retail food industry has refused to acknowledge that there is a problem. As the Centre for Future Work has maintained “Supermarket executives claim they have not profited from food price inflation, but have merely passed on to consumers the higher costs they pay for their own inputs and products. Economic evidence refutes this claim. Financial data on retail food produced by Statistics Canada for the third quarter of 2023 shows that corporate profits have more than doubled since before the COVID pandemic. This has been happening while Canadians have struggled to navigate the impacts of tariffs and the resulting slowdown in the Canadian economy.[3]

Recent evidence also suggests that food insecurity is a growing problem, even a crisis. Foodbanks Canada has observed that “In March 2025, there were nearly 2.2 million visits to food banks in Canada — the highest number in history.” Meanwhile, usage of foodbanks “…has doubled since March 2019, and is 5.2% higher than it was in 2024.” In fact, “(t)he rate of growth in the last six years far surpasses anything ever experienced by the food bank network at a national level.”[4] This unprecedented rise in the number of Canadians forced to rely on foodbanks underlines the fact that the time for action has come!

Food is not a luxury. However, for the millions of Canadians finding it increasingly difficult to afford basics, it is beginning to appear as if it is. Especially when we are contemplating a major push to revive domestic industry and shore up our trade, we need to ensure that all Canadians have access to nutritious and affordable food. The retail food industry has demonstrated that it cannot be trusted to self-regulate.[5] Therefore we, the undersigned support legislation to establish an effective watchdog.

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[1] For example, in Japan, it is obligatory that the actual product closely resemble what is shown on the packaging. 
[2] This is where data collected on individuals through AI is used to change the price at which a product or service is offered, in an attempt to get as high a price as possible. 
[3] Jim Stanford, Updated Industry-Wide Data on Food Retail Prices, Volumes & Profits Submission to House of Commons Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee December 2023.
[4] See “Overall Findings,” at https://foodbankscanada.ca/hunger-in-canada/hungercount/overall-findings/ 
[5] A recent report by CBC marketplace found that, one year after irregularities in weights of meat products were discovered at various outlets and brought to the attention of retailers, further irregularities were found again. See https://www.cbc.ca/news/marketplace/marketplace-cheat-sheet-april-19-2025-9.7166692