The Competition Bureau has launched, in June, a comprehensive examination into the food supply chain to determine how enhanced competition can help lower grocery costs for Canadians. This initiative follows the Bureau’s 2023 retail grocery market study and directly addresses widespread public anxiety over soaring food prices, which have severely strained household budgets across the country.
Groceries represent a massive, unavoidable monthly expense, with lower-income households being disproportionately affected. In 2024, the lowest-income households spent more than 27% of their disposable income on food and non-alcoholic drinks, whereas the highest-income group spent a mere 5%. To address these systemic pressures, the Bureau’s new examination spans three distinct focus areas. First, it looks at production and processing, which includes primary farming, fishing, and raw ingredient processing. Second, it covers transportation and distribution networks to see how logistics and wholesaling influence the market. Finally, it investigates retail pricing tactics, scrutinizing the impacts of loyalty programs, algorithmic pricing tools, and emerging trends like shrinkflation and skimpflation. While this initiative is an information-gathering exercise rather than a direct law enforcement investigation, any discovered evidence of anti-competitive behavior will lead to formal action.
The independent enforcement agency is actively calling on consumers, businesses, and industry organizations to share their firsthand experiences and insights. Interested parties are invited to submit their feedback through an online form by July 31, 2026. Submissions may be published on the Bureau’s website unless a specific request for confidentiality is made. Following this initial public outreach, the Bureau will host a series of virtual and in-person public roundtables and market calls between Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 to engage directly with stakeholders.
The final outcomes of this initiative will culminate in a public report scheduled for publication in Spring 2027. This report will summarize the feedback received, outline core barriers to market entry, and provide concrete policy recommendations to various levels of government to foster a healthier, more competitive food supply chain for all Canadians.