National food strategy aims to tackle grocery costs
Ottawa is investing more than $3 billion as part of a plan to combat anticompetitive pricing and improve year-round produce access.
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Canada's national food security strategy, backed by investments exceeding $3 billion, is designed to address rising grocery costs through three main approaches: combating anticompetitive industry practices, boosting agricultural infrastructure to improve access to fresh produce year-round, and addressing online surveillance pricing.
The strategy aims to tackle the persistent problem of high grocery bills and concentrated market power among major retailers. However, this is not the first time a Liberal government has attempted to lower grocery costs or break up grocery store monopolies.
Pascal Thériault, director of McGill University's farm management and technology program and an agricultural economist, discussed the strategy's potential impact with media. The conversation explored what a national food strategy means for Canadians and whether it will actually deliver lower grocery bills for consumers.