The Manitoba government has released a first-in-Canada grocery study that identifies additional actions to help lower grocery prices.

“We’re taking action to lower your grocery bill, with a comprehensive plan that’s going to help families across the province,” said Finance Minister Adrien Sala. “We’re using every lever available to us, tackling predatory pricing, eliminating property controls that stifle competition and taking the provincial sales tax (PST) off all groceries starting July 1.”

The study also includes new measures to address grocery prices and strengthen the food system, including reintroducing nutritious food basket costing, new investments for Harvest Manitoba’s Food Transformation Centre and measures to combat shrinkflation by adopting unit pricing, the minister noted.

“Manitoba’s adoption of unit pricing will make it easier for consumers to compare products across brands and package sizes,” said Vass Bednar, managing director, Canadian Shield Institute. “Greater price transparency supports more informed consumer choice and facilitates price comparison.”

The new Harvest Manitoba Food Transformation Centre will help turn more donated food into healthy meals so families can access the food they need. The centre will take donated food from sources like agricultural producers and process it into meals and food products that families can more easily use, reducing food waste and increasing food access.

“It’s great to see the Manitoba government tackling the cost of groceries, with initiatives that will lower grocery bills for everyone, and also help the families that need it most,” said Vince Barletta, CEO, Harvest Manitoba. “Harvest Manitoba is thankful for this important first round of support from the Manitoba government for our Food Transformation Centre, which will help us make better use of food donations, reduce waste and support families who rely on food banks and community organizations.”

The study was conducted with input from researchers, community partners, producers and retailers, and includes a comprehensive analysis of grocery pricing in Manitoba, as well as a number of longer-term policies. The study comes just days before the PST is set to be removed from all groceries in Manitoba.

Highlights of the study include:

  • implementing unit pricing to combat shrinkflation;
  • supporting those facing the most food insecurity and preventing food waste, with $2.5-million for Harvest Manitoba’s Food Transformation Centre;
  • reintroducing Nutritious Food Basket costing to measure the price of food in different regions across Manitoba, helping ensure government policy responds better to the needs of families; and
  • recommending a new grocery store in downtown Winnipeg to increase access to affordable food in an area long identified as having limited access.

The study builds on the Manitoba government’s existing plan to lower grocery prices by banning predatory pricing, cracking down on property controls, freezing the price of milk and taking the PST off all groceries.