A standardized basket of 15 grocery staples ranged from $68.95 to $93.24 across 12 Ontario retailers in Q1 2026. Some of the most basic, frequently purchased items in the store. This list includes: milk, butter, eggs, Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, chicken breast, ground beef, bacon, canned tuna, bananas, apples, all-purpose flour, pasta, and tomato paste. A $24.29 gap.
That's not accredited to anything other than the cost of not knowing.
The Data Behind It
The data comes from 21,700 individual price records pulled from retailer websites across Ontario between January and March. We built a basket that every retailer carries. Matched products by similarity on size and brand - selecting private label products when possible and used the lowest recorded price at each store during the period. The most consumer-friendly methodology possible.
The spread held anyway.
Walmart comes in cheapest at $68.95. Foodland is the most expensive at $93.24. Most shoppers have no idea that gap exists when they decide where to shop, because that information isn't surfaced anywhere by default. What's worth noting is that this leaderboard isn't a fixed ranking. Differing items, unique weeks, and other locations could result in a completely different outcome. See our previous report for a more granular breakdown. This analysis simply shows the assumed tier based ranking with discount, mid-tier, and premium/rural retailers aligning with perception.
Where Each Retailer Lands
Walmart, Food Basics, No Frills, and FreshCo typically falling in the discount category but FreshCo teetering on the edge of the middle group. Superstore to Metro falling in that mid-tier rank often due to additional offerings like hot tables and pharmacies. Then Sobeys and Foodland at the bottom.
Remember, this is a baseline with staple products. There are certainly cases where more retailers could slide in to the premium tier.
What we can uncover here is a unique perspective on the competitive landscape for the Ontario stores. Four different corporations competing at the top of the list, while Loblaw dominates the mid-tier market, and Empire owning the premium stage. Walmart is the only entity that stays in one lane. The rest are playing games trying to position themselves strategically in an evolving market - as seen with Empires efforts to open up more FreshCo locations.
The Loblaw Question
Another note worth considering is the level of internal competition between the five Loblaw owned retailers in the mid level. Of course, store location might be their lever to navigate the differing prices on (virtually) the same products, but disparity bleeds through on prices under the same banner.
The Bigger Picture
Grocery affordability gets talked about at the policy level. Reported margins, competition, supply chains. That conversation matters. But for most families, the gap closes one shopping trip at a time. The only way to beat the curve is to ensure that consumers are given the fairest opportunity to compete with a full set of information.
The information exists. It just hasn't been easy to access. SAVR is changing that.
Consumers deserve this.