Sep 30, 2026
If you plan your weekly shop around flyers, apps and online promos, you may not be seeing the best prices — even when a store is willing to charge them.
The Competition Bureau, the independent federal law enforcement agency that protects and promotes competition in Canada, launched an investigation into minimum advertised pricing (MAP) policies in the grocery sector on Sept. 28, 2026. These policies set the lowest price a retailer can advertise a product at, even if the store is allowed to sell it for less.
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The timing couldn’t be better. Grocery price inflation is finally losing some steam, with Statistics Canada reporting food price growth slowed to 2.8% year-over-year this past August. That marks the first time since July 2024 that grocery price hikes actually lagged behind overall inflation. That said, store prices are still up a staggering 29.0% compared to August 2021 — making every deal shoppers never hear about a missed opportunity.
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What is minimum advertised pricing?
MAP policies can be imposed by suppliers or negotiated between suppliers and retailers, and they don’t necessarily control what you pay at the till. They control what a store’s allowed to promote.
That distinction is the problem. According to the Competition Bureau, these policies stop grocers from advertising the lower prices they’re actually willing to offer in-store. Worse yet, some retailers might just drop an in-store discount altogether if they aren’t allowed to promote it.
“Canadians expect grocery stores to be able to advertise their best deals,” said Jeanne Pratt, Interim Commissioner of Competition, in the Bureau’s announcement.
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Why would a supplier limit advertised prices?
There’s another side to this story. Suppliers may use these rules to encourage stores to provide better service, protect a brand’s image or stop some retailers from benefiting from others’ promotional efforts, CBC News reports.
The Bureau’s concern is about who holds the power. When a market is controlled by just a few massive chains, these strict policies choke out competition — making it almost impossible for budget grocers to undercut prices. In fact, the Bureau’s Retail Grocery Market Study found most Canadians buy groceries from just five retailers: Loblaw, Sobeys, Metro, Walmart Canada and Costco.
The investigation will examine whether these policies:
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- make deals harder to find
- reduce price competition
- create barriers for discount and new grocers
- make it easier for grocers to coordinate prices
To be clear, an investigation doesn’t mean anyone is officially in trouble — and no grocers have been named so far.
How could a hidden price cost you?
How do many Canadians shop? They compare flyers, load digital coupons and ask for a price match at the checkout. All of these tactics depend on prices being advertised.
If a lower price exists only on the shelf, flyer comparisons won’t catch it. Price-matching rules usually require you to show a competitor’s ad — so if that discount isn’t printed anywhere, you’re out of luck. And if a store drops a discount because it can’t promote it, that saving is gone entirely.
The biggest impact falls on households with the least room in their budgets. That includes families feeding several people, seniors on fixed incomes and shoppers in communities with only one or two grocery banners nearby.
What to do now
You can’t change supplier contracts — but you can change how you look for deals.
Shop the shelf, not just the flyer
Treat the flyer as a starting point. Keep your eyes glued to those in-store shelf tags — especially for the weekly staples you buy anyway. An unadvertised discount might be sitting right under your nose.
Compare unit prices
Unit prices, such as the price per 100 grams, cut through packaging and promo noise. The Bureau recommends that governments standardize unit pricing to make comparisons easier. Until that happens, check the label math yourself.
Look beyond the biggest banners
It’s worthwhile to take a trip to Independent, ethnic and discount stores for everyday staples and support the businesses that MAP actively neglects.
Read the price-match fine print
Check the store’s policy before you count on a price match. Confirm which competitors and what types of prices, such as flyer or online, qualify.
Tell the Bureau what you’ve seen
The Bureau asks that all consumers, retailers and suppliers share their experiences with these policies. If you’ve noticed a shelf price lower than anything advertised, that’s exactly the kind of detail it wants.
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Amy Tokic is an SEO content editor for Money.ca. She holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Windsor. Amy is an award-winning author and has been writing professionally for 15 years, publishing articles in the lifestyle and health sectors.
