It’s time to head to the supermarket again to stock up on ingredients for the holiday celebrations. But how do prices compare across some of Canada’s most popular grocery chains?
Even as the current food inflation rate sits at 2.8% — slower than predicted in 2024 — hosting Christmas won’t come cheap. According to the annual Canada’s Food Price Report (CFRP), the most significant price increases are from 4% to 6% in categories such as bakery, dairy, meat, restaurants, and vegetables.
To see where you can stretch your dollar, we compared prices for popular holiday grocery items at four major Canadian supermarket chains: Loblaws, Metro, Sobeys, and Walmart.
We also tried to compare the prices of the same brands when possible. So whether you’re shopping for a turkey or stocking up on baking essentials, here’s how prices for 11 items compare.
Turkey
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Loblaws: Butterball frozen turkey, 5 to 7 kg, $32.94
Metro: Butterball frozen turkey, 5 to 7 kg, $30.39
Sobeys: Butterball frozen turkey, 5 to 7 kg, $40
Walmart: Butterball frozen turkey, 5 to 7 kg, $48.09
Ham
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Loblaws: Schneiders original half ham, 700 g, $15
Metro: Schneiders original half ham, 700 g, $10.99
Sobeys: Schneiders original half ham, 700 g, $10.99
Walmart: Schneiders original half ham, 700 g, $14.97
Brussels sprouts
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Loblaws: President’s Choice baby brussels sprouts, 500 g, $2.99
Metro: Irresistible frozen whole brussels sprouts, 500 g, $2.99
Sobeys: Taylor Farms brussels sprouts, 340 g, $2.99
Walmart: Mann’s brussels sprouts, 340 g, $4.27
Potatoes
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Loblaws: President’s Choice yellow potatoes, 5 lb, $3.50
Metro: Washed local yellow-fleshed potatoes, 5 lb, $2.99
Sobeys: Compliments yellow-fleshed potatoes, 2.27 kg (2.26 lb), $3.47
Walmart: Your Fresh Market yellow potatoes, 5 lb, $3.97
Cranberry sauce
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Loblaws: Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, 348 ml, $1.99
Metro: Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, 348 ml, $2.99
Sobeys: Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, 348 ml, $2.50
Walmart: Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, 348 ml, $1.57
Eggnog
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Loblaws: President’s Choice, the World’s Best Egg Nog, 1 l, $3.50
Metro: Irresistible 2% eggnog, 1 l, $2.99
Sobeys: Compliments eggnog, $2.79
Walmart: Beatrice premium eggnog, 1 l, $2.49
Flour
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Loblaws: Robin Hood original all-purpose flour, 2.5 kg, $6.99
Metro: Robin Hood original all-purpose flour, $5.99
Sobeys: Robin Hood original all-purpose flour, $6.99
Walmart: Robin Hood original all-purpose flour, 2.5 kg, $4.47
Butter
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Loblaws: Gay Lea butter sticks salted, 454 g, $8.99
Metro: Gay Lea butter sticks salted, 454 g, $7.99
Sobeys: Gay Lea butter sticks salted, 454 g, $8.99
Walmart: Gay Lea butter sticks salted, 454 g, $8.28
Icing sugar
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Loblaws: Lantic icing sugar, 1 kg, $3.79
Metro: Redpath icing sugar, 1 kg, $2.99
Sobeys: Lantic icing sugar, 1 kg, $3.79
Walmart: Redpath icing sugar, 1 kg, $2.77
Brioche mini buns
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Loblaws: La Fournée Dorée brioche mini buns, 480 g, $6.79
Metro: La Fournée Dorée brioche mini buns, 480 g, $6.79
Sobeys: Longo’s mini brioche buns, 480 g, $5.49
Walmart: La Fournée Dorée brioche mini buns, 480 g, $4.77
Pecan butter tarts
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Loblaws: Baxter pecan butter tarts, 510 g, $9.99
Metro: Irresistible pecan butter tarts, 510 g, $6.49
Sobeys: Farm Boy pecan butter tarts, 510 g, $7.99
Walmart: Your Fresh Market pecan butter tarts, 510 g, $4.77
Conclusion
Several supermarkets are making the most of the busy holiday season by offering relatively lower prices. If you’re looking for an affordable turkey, Lobalws has 5 to 7-kg turkeys for just $32.97, while Walmart turkeys are pretty pricey at $48.09 each.
Still, five of the 11 items we compared were much cheaper at Walmart. However, after adding it all up, shopping there would set you back $52.86. The same products would cost $42.96 at Loblaws and $47.99 at Sobeys. The total at Metro ended up being the lowest, at $36.88.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.