Nova Scotians believe grocers are price gouging: new survey

CITYnews halifax \ By CityNews Halifax Staff

Nova Scotians are growing increasingly skeptical about big grocery chains amid record-high profits.

According to a recent survey by the Agrifoods Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, more than 50 percent of Nova Scotians believe price gouging by grocers is the main reason that food prices keep rising.

As Dalhousie’s Sylvain Charlebois tells CityNews Halifax, Nova Scotians also want more action to ensure fair pricing at the grocery store.

“The number one choice for grocers is that people would appreciate a price freeze,” explains Charlebois, noting that the survey also shows people want loyalty programs to be more generous.

“They don’t think that they are generous enough. That is something that came up a lot in our survey.”

Charlebois says many Nova Scotians also want government regulation on prices for food staples.’

He adds that when a grocery code of conduct is expected to be implemented later this spring, people should anticipate more fair pricing for retailers along with increased transparency and accountability.

More than two-thirds of respondents to the survey said they would support a code that limits the influence of major grocers and helps independent grocers.

The survey was conducted in March 2023 and included nearly 10,000 respondents nationwide.