Loblaw’s has consistently taken the brunt of consumer ire since average folks became upset over the price of food. Lately, it’s been issuing food price ‘updates’, posing as a consumer-friendly ‘ally’. The latest Loblaw’s Price Rundown isn’t encouraging…
The issue…
… Has always been high food prices that need to be lowered. Loblaws, however, prefers to focus on the rate at which pries are rising, probably because prices are NOT going down.
Thus does the company’s November, 2025, Food Inflation Report, appear to bill as good news, that, “Canada’s food inflation rate decreased slightly in October to 3.4 percent, while the overall inflation rate remained largely steady at 2.2 percent.
Loblaw’s goes on to say: “The decline was driven in part by the removal of tariffs from U.S. imports, and lower costs for some processed foods and fresh vegetables. However, higher prices for fresh and frozen chicken and beef moderated the decline.”
Detailed analysis
Loblaw’s even offered a simplified analysis of last month’s food price activity.
But there was good news…
“The U.S. has recently moved to cut or eliminate tariffs on more than 200 food products in the US, including removing the 40 percent tariff on Brazilian coffee and beef. These changes have already helped push coffee futures down slightly and will ease prices on these imported products in Canada.”
… And bad news…
“Tariffs on steel and aluminum remain in place, continuing to drive higher packaging costs for many food and beverage items.”
Not our fault
Like so many ‘powers’ in the world today, Loblaw’s always tries to get out from under the responsibility for issues such as food price inflation – and high prices in general. (See the official Loblaw’s infographic, at left.)
Meanwhile…
Just before the November Food Inflation Report came out, the little-heard-from Grocery Sector Code of Conduct organization quietly announced it had, “completed completion of its governance framework, marking a significant milestone in the implementation of the Canada Grocery Code.”
The self-governing organization’s mission statement reads: “The Canada Grocery Code promotes re-ciprocal trust and collaboration within the grocery sector with the establishment of clear standards for fair dealing. It enables informed business decisions through commercial certainty governed by clear agreements, and provides an effective, equitable mechanism for resolving commercial disputes.”
Nothing in there about lowering grocery prices…
My take
There was a point, a little over a year ago, when inflation in general had more or less leveled off. Even then, food prices continued to rise. And they’ve never dropped, except when retailers declare loss-leaders, weekly flyer specials and other temporary deals designed to get folks to buy more – maybe more than they need or can use.
And the last time Loblaw’s reported its quarterly financials, it once again revealed a substantial (some say, ‘excessive’ and even ‘gouging’) shareholder profit.
The bottom line here is, food prices are still going up, and they’re rising faster than the overall rate of inflation.
We don’t need voluntary, self-governed industry groups such as the Canada Grocery Code organ-ization managing prices. We need government intervention to ensure effective competition between the Big 5 supermarket chains. And force prices down…
~ Maggie J.