Grocery stores are fighting back against Trump's tariffs and making it easier to buy Canadian

Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland and FreshCo

If you're shopping at Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland and FreshCo — which are owned by Empire Company — in Ontario, B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Atlantic Canada, here's what you need to know.

A spokesperson told Narcity that it's "focused on protecting our customers as much as possible from the impacts of this unwarranted action from the United States and the necessary reaction from our federal and provincial governments."

So, work is being done to "amplify" the program that already favours local products in stores across Canada.

These grocery stores will "clearly identify Canadian products" and give those items more prominence over American products.

"We encourage all of our customers to make informed purchasing decisions with the information in our displays and the country-of-origin information printed on packaging and labels."

Also, grocery stores owned by Empire will be speeding up the sourcing of Canadian products as alternatives to products that are on the tariff list.

Metro and Food Basics

If you're shopping at Metro and Food Basics grocery stores in Ontario, here's what you need to know.

Metro and Food Basics both already promote Ontario products through Locally Sourced and We Love Local programs in-store, a spokesperson told Narcity.

These grocery stores also prioritize local Canadian products when sourcing items to put on shelves.

Now that tariffs are being introduced by both the U.S. and Canada, Metro told Narcity that it will prioritize made-in-Canada items even more and "optimize the visibility of local products" in-store, online and in the weekly flyers.

This will "make them easier to find for customers who want to prioritize them."

Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, and more

Loblaw Companies owns and operates many grocery stores in Canada including Loblaws, No Frills, Your Independent Grocer, Fortinos, Real Canadian Superstore, Real Atlantic Superstore, T&T, and Wholesale Club.

There are locations in all provinces and territories.

Per Bank, CEO of Loblaw, recently posted on LinkedIn about U.S. tariffs and what that means for shoppers at grocery stores.

"We know many Canadians are anxious and uncertain about the recently announced and entirely wrong-headed tariffs announced by the U.S. government," Bank said.

"Canada has announced retaliatory measures, as it must. Canada must fight hard to protect the interests of all Canadians," he continued.

So, Loblaw is "taking action to minimize the impacts" of tariffs.

That includes "doubling down" on securing grown-in-Canada and made-in-Canada food, looking for alternatives for U.S. products, and more.

"New tariffs have the potential to put significant pressure on costs, which will ultimately impact consumers directly," Bank said.