Today, the Competition Bureau announced an examination of competition across Canada's food supply chain.
Food prices have risen sharply in recent years, putting significant pressure on Canadian households. While many factors influence food prices, competition plays an important role in keeping prices in check and giving Canadians more choice.
The Bureau's examination will look for potential competition issues in three key areas:
Production and processing, including how food is grown, caught, transformed and packaged;
Transportation and distribution, including how food moves to retailers across Canada; and
Retail pricing practices, including loyalty programs, pricing algorithms, shrinkflation and skimpflation.
The Bureau is seeking input from Canadians and organizations with experience in the food supply chain. They are invited to share their views through our online form by July 31, 2026. The Bureau will also meet with groups and hold roundtable discussions in the coming months to determine where competition is not working well, where there are barriers, and what could help improve competition.
The Bureau will publish a final report in spring 2027. The report will share findings and make recommendations to governments on how competition can be strengthened across the food supply chain.
