Families Skip Meals, Grocery Giants Feast
Food up 27% in five years, big chains profit, and the government stays silent.
Listen up, Canada—your grocery bill is still climbing like it’s training for Everest, and the feds are basically watching from the sidelines with a lukewarm coffee in hand. We’re talking a projected 4% to 6% spike in food prices for 2026, with the average family of four shelling out a whopping $17,571.79 on eats, up nearly $995 from last year. That’s 27% higher than five years ago, folks. Meat’s the villain here, expected to jump 5% to 7%, while bakery and dairy creep up 2% to 4%. Provinces like Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec are getting slammed harder than the national average. And yeah, overall food inflation hit 3.4% year-over-year in early 2026 stats, but that’s after a wild ride.
Now, let’s zoom in on the real culprits: four massive companies: Loblaw, Empire (Sobeys), Metro, and Walmart dominating the scene with over 80% market share when you factor in their grip. (Toss in Costco for good measure, and it’s a cozy oligopoly club.) Loblaw alone snags about 32%, Empire 25%, Metro 15%, and Walmart around 10% in grocery estimates. These giants aren’t just big; they’re price-setters in a market with zero real competition. Profits? They’ve nearly tripled margins since 2020, raking in $6 billion annually while we pay through the nose. Shrinkflation, skimpflation—call it what you want, it’s them gaming the system.
And where’s the government in this mess? Twiddling thumbs, mostly. They’ve got “limited ability” to control prices, blaming global factors and avoiding real teeth like price caps or busting monopolies. The Grocery Code of Conduct? Voluntary, now fully implemented as of 2026 with all big players signed on, but critics call it toothless without enforcement. Amendments to the Competition Act aim to boost competition and probe anti-competitive tricks like property controls, but it’s all indirect—no direct smackdown on prices. Instead, we get pledges from chains to “stabilize” costs, which feels like asking foxes to guard the henhouse. This lack of regulation is straight-up failing us. Families are skipping meals, food banks are overwhelmed, and these corps keep cashing in. Ottawa needs to step up: mandate transparency, outlaw profiteering tactics, and invite real competition before “affordable food” becomes a myth. Your fridge—and wallet—can’t take much more of this nonsense.
