Class-action lawsuit accuses Loblaws, Walmart and Sobeys of underweight meat sales

A shopper looks at meat in a grocery store in Montreal, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

VANCOUVER — A proposed class-action lawsuit launched in British Columbia alleges Loblaws, Walmart Canada and Sobeys “misrepresented” the weight of meat products by including the weight of packaging in calculating prices.

Lead plaintiff Carrie Corrall says in a Federal Court lawsuit filed in Vancouver on Jan. 9 that she’s a B.C. mother that regularly spends “hundreds or thousands of dollars” each year on meat products.

The lawsuit alleges grocers are using “deceptive means” that violate federal and provincial regulations by including packaging weight in the price of raw and cooked meat products that are sold by weight.

The statement of claim alleges the practices mean Canadians have been “regularly overpaying for meat products” at the defendants' grocery stores.

A judge still needs to certify the class proceeding, which is seeking punitive damages due to the alleged deception coming at a time of high inflation and when grocers have publicly committed to keeping prices low while “discretely overcharging” consumers.

None of the allegations have been proven in court and Loblaws, Walmart Canada and Sobeys were not immediately available to comment on the allegations.

The lawsuit says the topic of high food prices has been the subject of “countless news stories,” and the legal action was filed shortly after CBC News revealed the alleged practices in an investigation published last week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2025.