How Vegan-Friendly Are Canada’s Grocery Stores?

More and more people are choosing to live a healthier and more ethical lifestyle. The trend that started in Asia, the United States, the UK, and Europe, now also spilled over into Canada: veganism. But it took the supermarkets a while to adjust to the growing movement.

Just a few years ago, people who wanted to purchase plant-based food products had to go to a specialty grocery store. Did the Canadian supermarkets adjust their product range to this upward trend?

A study by Dalhousie University showed that 2.3 per cent of Canadians consider themselves vegans. It is likely that this number increased since the study came out in 2018, as the revolt against industrial-scale farming of animals and environmental awareness grew over the last few years.

However, there are also other reasons to stick to a vegan diet. “I have been suffering from acne all my life. I tried a lot of beauty products, but the only thing that helps my skin is living vegan,” says Nathaniel Lawlor, student at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).

Lawlor works in an all-vegan restaurant in Toronto, ‘Fresh’. Restaurants like this make it easier to live a plant-based lifestyle, but meat and dairy-free products must also be available to people in grocery stores.

The range of chilled plant-based products in Metro supermarket.

For a big part, the market already responded to the public’s demand for vegan products. Grocery stores filled their shelves with plant-based meat out of soy, wheat protein, or tofu and cheese made from chickpea or potato and corn starch. The big Canadian supermarket chains like Metro and Loblaws mostly carry the same big brands such as ‘Yves’, ‘Big Mountain’, ‘Daiya’, and ‘Violife’. Loblaw Companies has always been quick to embrace changing dietary habits and has created a growing line of plant-based products for its ‘President's Choice’ (PC) house brand.

The range of chilled plant-based products in Loblaws supermarket.

But the pioneer when it comes to natural, organic, and plant-based food is Whole Foods Market. At least that’s what the grocery store advertises itself with and the ‘Progressive Grocer Retailer of the Century’-award for the first certified-organic grocer suggests.

The selection of frozen and chilled fake meat, cheese, and even fish at Whole Foods Market really is three times as big as the one in Metro or Loblaws. It also includes high-profile global brands like ‘Impossible Food’ and ‘Beyond Meat’.

The range of chilled plant-based products in Whole Food Market.

“Plant-based is the grocery category to watch right now as brands continue to innovate by using new ingredients and processes that make plant-based products exciting for shoppers,” says Parker Brody, Senior Global Category Merchant for Plant-Based at Whole Foods Market.

Their range is not just wider than the one in Metro or Loblaws, the products are more conspicuously labeled, signposted, and better sorted as well.

But it all comes with a price. “The cost of the plant-based food in the grocery stores makes it a privilege to live the vegan lifestyle,” says Lawlor. The specialty products are more expensive than their non-vegan counterparts in other grocery stores as well, but Whole Foods is dubbed ‘Whole Paycheck’ for a reason. The price for six plant-based burger patties goes up to 25$.

Canadian grocery stores started to expand their plant-based product range due to the growing veganism trend, but they will have to keep adapting it to the needs of their customers. With the increasing demand, the price will then adjust accordingly.