Competition Bureau seeks information on retail grocery pricing policies

The Competition Bureau is seeking information on retail grocery pricing policies as part of its investigation into Canada’s food supply chain.

A call for information will be published Monday (Sept. 28).

Launched in June, the agency’s food supply chain investigation aims to understand whether more competition in Canada’s food supply chain could keep food prices in check.

The bureau's examination will look for potential competition issues in three key areas: production and processing; transportation and distribution; and retail pricing practices, including loyalty programs, pricing algorithms, shrinkflation and skimpflation.

It plans to publish a report summarizing its findings and recommendations to policymakers.

In 2023, the Competition Bureau conducted a study on Canada’s retail grocery market, sharing recommendations to improve competition in a report.

Among the recommendations was for provincial and territorial governments to consider introducing accessible and harmonized unit pricing requirements.