A new CBC secret-shopping investigation has found Loblaw Companies (TSX: L) and Sobeys-affiliated stores overcharging customers for underweight meat one year after both grocers said they had reinforced weighing procedures.
CBC visited 17 Loblaw-owned or Sobeys-affiliated stores in the Toronto, Vancouver, and Halifax areas over two months, targeting fresh meat sold by weight. The investigation documented 32 underweight meat products across seven stores, including two Safeways, one Thrifty Foods, two Farm Boys, and two Real Atlantic Superstores, now branded Real Canadian Superstores.
Federal rules require declared net weight and weight-based pricing to exclude packaging. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says shoppers should be able to rely on the stated amount of food in a package, not the tray, wrap, pad, or label attached to it.
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CBC’s calculated overcharges ranged from 2% to 16.7%. The highest added cost came from organic air-chilled chicken at Farm Boy, where two chicken breasts sold for $9.42 carried a calculated $1.35 overcharge, or 16.7%. A separate pack of five chicken thighs sold for $12.32 carried a calculated $1.37 overcharge, or 12.5%.
The investigation also followed a tip from Karen Webber, a retired high school principal in Dartmouth, who said she bought four underweight beef briskets from her local Superstore in February 2025. After raising the issue with a manager, she said she was given a free brisket and told the problem would be fixed.
One year later, Webber said she bought four more briskets from the same store and again found they were underweight. CBC then purchased six briskets from two Superstore locations in the Halifax area. All six were underweight, with the combined calculated overcharge approaching $4, or 4.7%.
Loblaw said the issue was limited to one product at a “small number” of stores and said it had reviewed protocols with staff.
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“We are truly sorry this happened,” the company said, adding that it takes weight accuracy seriously.
Sobeys and Empire-linked stores showed broader poultry discrepancies. At two Safeways and one Thrifty Foods in North Vancouver, CBC found multiple underweight poultry packages that appeared to have been weighed with packaging included. At Thrifty Foods, four of six organic chicken packs tested had calculated overcharges of just over $1, with added costs reaching up to 9.8%.
Farm Boy produced the investigation’s highest overcharges. At two Toronto-area Farm Boy locations, eight of nine organic chicken packages tested weighed less than their labels claimed, even when packaging was included in the total.
Sobeys and Empire spokesperson Karen White-Boswell said errors are investigated when they occur, and said Farm Boy’s products are packaged and weighed by a third party at a “CFIA-certified facility.” The CFIA told CBC it does not certify facilities and said compliance remains the responsibility of all companies in the supply chain.
In January 2025, CBC found underweight meat at Loblaw, Sobeys-owned FreshCo, and Walmart (NYSE: WMT), with overcharges including $5.14 on six Loblaw items and $2.62 on a $38.08 FreshCo bill.
The CFIA said it ramped up inspections after the 2025 report. The agency conducted only six meat product spot checks in stores during the 2023-2024 fiscal year, but said it has tested 236 since January 2025. So far, it has issued warnings, not fines, to seven retailers for violations.
Former CFIA inspector Terri Lee, who spent 24 years with the regulator before retiring in 2021, said warnings are not enough for repeat violations. The current maximum fine for such violations is $15,000, but Lee argued penalties for major grocers should be closer to $500,000 to create a real deterrent.
This comes on the heels of Loblaw and George Weston Limited (TSX: WN) starting the claims process for a $500-million nationwide settlement of packaged bread price-fixing class actions.
The new findings land as food prices remain under pressure. Statistics Canada said grocery prices were up 30.1% since February 2021, while food purchased from stores rose 4.1% year over year in February 2026. Fresh or frozen beef prices rose 13.9% year over year that month. 
Canada’s Food Price Report 2026 projected overall food prices would rise 4% to 6% this year, with the average family of four expected to spend $17,571.79 on food, up by as much as $994.63 from last year.
Information for this story was found via CBC and the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
One Response
These characters have an overwelming majority ownership in Canadian retail. Their share price has doubled in the last 2 years. No wonder Canada has the worst food price inflation in the G7. Where is our antitrust watchdog? Break them up!