Canadian Grocery Code in Action

Around the first week of May, PM Justin Trudeau announced the requirement for grocery chains to sign on to the Canadian Grocery Code; Loblaws responded that it was waiting for competitors to sign on, before it would agree to adhere to the new code.

I typically visit a couple of different grocery stores twice a week, as some of the fresh produce doesn’t have much of a shelf life, and meal planning is subject to change without notice.

I purchased some Tostito Scoops on 2024-05-11, to go along with a fresh, spring vegetable dish that I planned on sharing with friends.

Six days later, I had the need to buy more Tostito Scoops, to take along with a second bowl of the dip, while we watched the Canucks playoff game.

The shock of what might be one grocer’s response to the upcoming requirement, was to raise the price of the integral component of the dish 38% each, or 43% for the “double deal”!

I remembered that the other grocery store I frequent had been $1 more than the previous price I paid, so I figured to check there, in order to save 25% from the new price. Fortunately, the second store was still the same price as the week before.

Is this how the retailers will respond? Raise the price on items not subject to quick spoilage. I’m certain there are numerous items that retailers may inflate in an extraordinary manner, to maintain profit levels that they began to enjoy from the Covid period.

Government involvement in consumer goods, never works out well for consumers. Most likely, the extremely wealthy money behind the biggest suppliers of consumer goods, shakes that big stick in the faces of government, when their revenues are under threat.