At checkout stop paying more for much less

There is a specific kind of exhaustion that settles in at the kitchen table after a long day of advocacy, education, or community building. You unpack your groceries, feeling the weight of every dollar spent, only to realize the box of cereal, or the package of chicken feels… hollow. For many in our communities, it is a breach of trust. When you realize the amount in the package does not match the label, it means you have paid for a product you did not fully receive.

In a world where equity is often a battle, the simple act of buying food should be easy, fair. Canadian food laws are designed to protect you while you are grocery shopping ensuring that the net quantity shown on a label is accurate. This law dictates that the weight must reflect only the edible components, including sauce packets, but excluding non-edible additions like the brine in a jar of pickles.

However, the truth of a product’s weight is often more complex than a single number. We must understand the science of “loss” to know when we are truly being short-changed. Take, for instance, a tray of fresh meat. You may notice a soaker pad tucked beneath the cut. Over time, fresh meat naturally releases liquids, which the pad absorbs to maintain safety and freshness. These liquids were inside the meat when it was first weighed and packaged, the product technically loses weight as it sits on the shelf, transferring that mass to the pad. While the law allows for small variances based on the total weight of the food, there are limits to how much moisture loss is acceptable.

Then there is the more calculated deception: “slack-fill.” You might reach for a container that looks generous, only to find it is nearly a quarter empty. If a 250 ml container holds only 200 ml of liquid, it creates a “headspace” of 24%. Unless that extra space is vital for the product (such as room to shake a milkshake) it is considered misleading and is strictly prohibited.

We must move faster than the systems that attempt to overlook us. When you suspect you are being misled, look closer. Stop reaching for the same brands out of habit; the quantities may have shifted while the price stayed the same. Check the unit price per 100 grams rather than the size of the box.

If the weight feels wrong, the response must be swift. You have the right to contact the manufacturer directly, as they often value consumer feedback even when no law has been broken. But when the line into deception is crossed, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is the mechanism for accountability. They take food mislabelling with the gravity it deserves, investigating complaints through on-site inspections and following up to ensure companies have taken corrective actions.

The stakes are high. In the 2023-2024 period alone, the CFIA issued 44 administrative monetary penalties totaling nearly $200,000 for violations including food misrepresentation. Their work has prevented nearly 140,000 kg of misrepresented food from reaching your table. When a business intentionally ignores these requirements, it may be considered food fraud.

You are a steward of your household and your community’s resources. Reporting a misleading label or an under-filled package ensures that the next person, perhaps someone with even fewer resources, is not the next victim of an invisible tax. Protect your peace. Protect your plate. When the truth is hidden in the headspace of a package, it is our collective responsibility to bring it into the light.