A proposed class action trial launched in British Columbia alleges LoblawWalmart Canada and Sobeys “distorted” the weight of meat products by including the weight of the packaging in the price calculation.
Lead plaintiff Carrie Corrall said in a Federal Court lawsuit filed in Vancouver on Jan. 9 that she is a British Columbia mother who regularly spends “hundreds or thousands of dollars” each year on meat products.
The suit alleges that grocers use “deceptive means” that violate federal and provincial regulations by including package weight in the price of raw and cooked meat products sold by weight.
The statement of claim alleges that these practices mean that Canadians “regularly overpay for meat products” at the defendants’ grocery stores.
A judge has yet to certify the class action, which seeks punitive damages because of the alleged deception that occurred at a time of high inflation and when grocers publicly pledged to keep prices low while “quietly overcharging” consumers.
None of the allegations have been proven in court and Loblaws, Walmart Canada and Sobeys were not immediately available for comment on the allegations.
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The suit says the topic of high food prices has been the subject of “countless news stories” and that the lawsuit was filed shortly after CBC News revealed the alleged practices in an investigation published last week .
Loblaw confirmed the discrepancies raised by the report in a statement to Global News and apologized for what he said were issues related to “a small number of meat products sold in some stores in Western Canada.”
“Unfortunately, the error occurred while we were in the process of converting our meat trays to a more environmentally friendly format and was corrected once discovered,” reads Loblaw’s statement to GlobalNews.
The spokesperson said the grocer had “robust internal processes and controls in place” but were “prone to occasional operational errors.”
—With additional files from Global News
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