Loblaw is apologizing after the grocer confirmed some meat products sold in stores across Western Canada were underweighted compared with what was posted on the label, leading to some customers being overcharged.
The grocer confirmed the discrepancies to Global News after the problems were exposed in a CBC News investigation published Thursday.
A Loblaw spokesperson told Global News in an email that the issues were tied to “a small number of meat products sold in select stores in Western Canada.”
The CBC investigation found underweighted meat products in as many as 80 stores over an undisclosed period ending December 2023, but identified additional issues of underweighting in additional Loblaw stores after that date, as well as in one Sobey’s-owned grocer and a Walmart.
That story reported that prices were inflated by between four and 11 per cent due to the errors.
The discrepancy appeared to happen when food products were weighed to include the packaging, which runs counter to Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) guidelines, according to the CBC investigation.
“Unfortunately, the error happened as we were converting our meat trays to a more environmentally friendly format and was corrected when discovered,” the Loblaw statement to Global News read.
Global News has reached out to Sobey’s and Walmart Canada for comment on the reported underweighting at those stores.
Loblaw said it addressed “inconsistencies” in the two additional stores identified by CBC, adding that 97 per cent of the company’s stores were “unaffected.”
The spokesperson said the grocer has “robust internal processes and controls in place” but that they are “subject to the occasional operational error.”
Loblaw’s statement acknowledged that “any pricing issue that results in an overcharge is one too many.”
“We apologize for these errors,” the statement read.
Loblaw said it was implementing a discount on select meat products in the affected stores, which will be visible on customers’ receipts. The spokesperson did not disclose the size of the discount, nor the names of the impacted stores.
“If a customer notices a price to weight discrepancy with any products we sell, we encourage them to bring it to our attention for immediate resolution,” the statement read.
The CBC story said the CFIA was alerted by a whistleblower, but that the agency closed the case in late 2023, before the most recent issues were discovered.
Global News has reached out to the CFIA to confirm if it probed the issue with Loblaw and to ask whether any followup investigations are planned.