Recalls and plant shutdowns due to COVID-19 couldn’t keep Canadians away from the meat counter. But prices did reach the sticker-shock point
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone on Earth one way or another, which is why the moment we are in is so unique. The way we consume food has also changed: how and where we buy it, and where we consume it have seen tremendous changes over the last 11 months. Proteins play a significant…
Couche-Tard has a reputation of generating value by polishing hidden gems in companies like Carrefour
We heard this week that Alimentation Couche-Tard is looking at acquiring European-based Carrefour, the seventh largest food retailer in the world. Buying a grocery chain would be a significant departure from what Couche-Tard is known for. A non-binding, friendly offer of $25 billion was sent to Carrefour. Couche-Tard is all about the convenience store economy.…
From lab-grown meat to grocery store staff bonuses to the food-service crisis to gardening and cooking at home to panic buying
The year 2020 was as unusual as they get, with no shortage of stories. Some flew under the radar because of the pandemic but this list is based on how some food-related stories will probably have long-term implications, whether they were related to COVID-19 or not. At No. 10, the apparent end of Tim Hortons’…
Loblaws will be able to move food from automated picking facilities multiple times a day to support its online grocery service
Loblaws is partnering with Gatik, an autonomous vehicle provider from the United States, to launch the first autonomous food delivery fleet. This is a solution to the ‘middle mile,’ assuring links between distribution centres and stores. Consumers won’t see autonomous vehicles drive up to their homes yet but that day will surely come soon. These…
Major grocers are off-loading in-store and digital operations costs unto suppliers
Major Canadian grocers in Canada are at it again. After Walmart and Metro, it was Loblaw’s turn to make changes to its vendor policies, implementing new fees to support a $6-billion plan to improve its in-store and digital operations. A letter written by Loblaw Companies president Sarah Davis was leaked to the media. Over the…
It’s high time to evaluate the possibility of a guaranteed minimum income, for greater financial equity for all
Every month, Statistics Canada reminds us that life is getting more expensive. But for food, the situation has been unique over the last few decades. Based on numbers released recently, the price of a typical grocery basket has increased by about 240 per cent since 2000. Some will think such a percentage is expected, given…
Looks like we may be heading for a second COVID-19 wave. If that’s the case, we should keep calm and grocery shop in this new normal
Many months into the COVID-19 pandemic, we know more about this relentless virus and how it behaves and spreads. Using this limited but growing scientific knowledge, public health measures have kept us largely safe. Back in March, given the unknowns we needed to manage, the only solution possible was a complete lockdown. It came into…
Food manufacturing in Canada is dying a slow death. The sector has lost 12 jobs a day every day since 2012. This won’t help
Consumers got a glimpse of how food supply chains work – or don’t – at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now Walmart is giving them a chilling new perspective. The sight of empty shelves in grocery stores is certainly a strong indicator at the retail level that something is amiss upstream. Reasons at the…
From online grocery shopping to home delivery to cooking with fresh ingredients to higher prices to fewer choices in stores
More than five months into the pandemic, we can start to see how life will look on the other side. At the grocery store, some changes will disappear while others will stay with us for the foreseeable future. Food is getting more expensive everywhere, including Canada. We expect prices to increase by four per cent.…
Grocery retailers must come to terms with serving a shifting population. And restaurants face learning to be more flexible
Canadians seem to want to flee urban centres. The food industry will need to keep a close eye on the trend. The real estate market is overheating in regions outside of major cities like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Halifax. Recent real estate reports suggest sales are up 20 per cent in many rural markets and…