An empty flour shelf in a Steinbach grocery store.

Pandemic both boom and bust for food industry

Hoarding, volatility of food markets force producers to adapt

Grocery shopping just looks different now — be it the lines on the floor directing shoppers where to stand, to the safety reminders over the store PA, to the empty space where the flour used to be. For food producers, it’s also a strange new world with restaurant and food-service orders abruptly nixed and the

supermarket in blurry for background

Grocery store entry easier than ever

Even those with limited product volumes should explore these opportunities, business development specialist tells St. Jean Farm Days

It’s never been a better time to start a food-processing business. Where in years gone by there were nothing but barriers, now more grocery stores are keen to stock locally produced products, says a Manitoba Agriculture business development specialist. Gone are expensive listing fees to buy shelf space in stores, and you won’t find yourself


E-commerce internet shopping cart mobile phone app supermarket

Comment: The unavoidable death of ‘click and collect’

Consumers want to get food products delivered directly to their homes but they don’t necessarily want to pay for it

Grocers can no longer afford to wait for their money to show up at their stores. That’s a given. They need to go after it as well. E-commerce in the grocery business was barely a thought five years ago. Most of them did not want to cannibalize sales and decrease foot traffic. The primary idea

There are many causes of — and solutions to — food waste.

Consumers acknowledge they are the biggest food wasters

More information and education are needed to fix the problem, say waste reduction advocates

While grocery stores are the usual target for campaigns against food waste, the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) says consumers primarily point the finger of blame at themselves. A survey conducted for the centre found 69 per cent of consumers consider themselves most responsible for reducing food loss and waste, followed by restaurants at

According to a recent survey, 66 per cent of Canadians have used self-checkout lanes at some point.

Comment: A painful experience

Why self-checkouts at the grocery store never seem to work properly

Some Canadians detest going to the grocery store. It’s repetitive, tiring, and quite unpleasant at times, especially when the store is busy. Picking up groceries and lugging them back home is work, something most would rather avoid. On the other hand, many of us do enjoy visiting food stores and discovering new products or new


Technological advances, coupled with our pursuit of convenience, have given us a lot more time to think about food in a different way.

Comment: Why are consumers going meatless?

The answer has something to do with the economy

We seem to be living in an era in which the pleasure of eating is quite simply overpowered by values-based narratives in food consumption. And this is happening at an astonishing pace. Vegetarianism and veganism are both coming into their own, allowing more people to “come out of the cupboard” to speak openly about and

With all their convenience, meal kits still don’t resolve the age-old issue of doing the dishes once you’ve finished eating.

Comment: Meal kits set the table for a new food retailing boom

Instead of takeout, consumers can choose a meal kit that allows them to whip up an appealing dish in minutes

Meal kits are sweeping across North America. It’s the perfect trend for consumers who want to be empowered by cooking but still need convenience. For example, Walmart has just partnered with Gobble to deliver meal kits. In the battle over the future of food consumption in the U.S., Walmart wants a fighting chance against the

Opinion: Amazon and Whole Foods – one year later

The blockbuster deal has forced domestic grocery giants to adapt quickly

One after the other, grocers are going virtual. All of them, at some point over the last 12 months, have announced some sort of commitment to an e-commerce strategy. Costco launched its home delivery pilot in Ontario, while Maxi’s, Loblaw’s discount stores in Quebec, were the latest to jump on the virtual bandwagon with their


Almost 60 per cent of all Canadian consumers consider price as one of the top three decision criteria when grocery shopping.

Opinion: ‘Shrinkflation’ is a thing

Ingredient prices are rising but Canadians stubbornly won’t pay more at the till

Most consumers are always concerned about the cost of food. We constantly look for bargains and the food industry knows it. According to a recent survey, almost 60 per cent of all Canadian consumers consider price as one of the top three decision criteria when grocery shopping. Price is key, no matter what. Pricing in

Empty Shopping Cart

What StatsCan and Loblaw numbers are really telling us

While food prices are rising, a newly competitive food retailing landscape makes increasing margins difficult

Recent StatsCan numbers indicate that grocers are in trouble. Food inflation is now above two per cent for the first time since April 2016. This is typically good news for grocers as it gives more room for them to increase margins. But given major headwinds affecting the industry, grocers will need to get even more