Latest news with #Loblaws
Cision Canada
16-07-2025
- Health
- Cision Canada
Little Bellies Expands Canadian Lineup with New Organic, Age-and-Stage Appropriate Snacks for Babies and Toddlers Français
New products rolling out at Loblaws and Walmart offer more adventurous tastes, textures and shapes to support independence and developmental milestones TORONTO, July 16, 2025 /CNW/ -- Little Bellies, Australian-founded baby and toddler snack brand known for its wholesome, age-and-stage appropriate snacks, is further expanding its Canadian range with seven new products designed to support key developmental milestones from 10+ months to toddlerhood. With its existing line catering to babies from 7+ months – including the well-loved puffs, Pick-Me Sticks, and Round-a-Bouts, the lineup has now grown to offer more variety for the 10+ and 12+ months stages. These new additions bring more shapes, flavours and textures that encourage independence and confident self-feeding skills. Now available at Loblaws and Walmart stores nationwide, the expanded range continues Little Bellies' mission to evolve with little ones as they grow. For 10+ Months: More to Explore Range At around 10 months, babies begin mastering rotary jaw movements, making chewing easier and allowing for more textured foods. This stage also brings growing independence in self-feeding. The More To Explore range is designed to support these milestones with melt-in-the-mouth developmentally supportive snacks that encourage chewing, promote fine motor skills and introduce babies to a wider variety of flavours and shapes. In addition to Little Bellies' beloved 10+ months Yogurt Pick-Me Sticks and Softcorn, the More to Explore range now includes: Organic Carrot & Cinnamon Paws Organic Pear & Vanilla Paws For 12+ Months: Toddlers in Training Range By 12 months, toddlers begin to rely more on solid food as part of their daily feeding routine. The Toddlers In Training range supports this growth by introducing more adventurous shapes, flavours and textures – designed to build independence and confidence at mealtimes. In addition to the 12+ months cookies, the updated lineup includes: Building on its growing presence in Canada, Little Bellies continues to expand its range and retail reach to meet the evolving needs of families. The Australian-founded brand remains committed to its mission of creating snacks that grow with children, while supporting parents as their partner in their children's feeding journey with trusted, organic and wholesome options. "With our expanded Canadian lineup and retail presence, we're excited to reach even more families with snacks that truly support a child's unique journey of development and discovery," said Clive Sher, co-founder and managing director of Little Bellies. "We continue to grow with Canadian families and provide options they feel good about – offering new ways to nurture curiosity, independence and a love of food in little ones. At Little Bellies, we do what's natural, so parents can do what's natural." Founded in 2011 by brothers Clive and Steven Sher – after Steven's son was diagnosed with severe food sensitivities – Little Bellies was created to offer natural snacks that nurture independence, encourage safe self-feeding and support palate development, without artificial additives or unnecessary ingredients. All Little Bellies products are crafted with carefully selected, organic ingredients and free from artificial colours, flavours and additives. Designed to grow with children from starting solids to toddlerhood, Little Bellies helps parents simplify snack time with developmentally supportive options they can trust. For more information, visit or connect with the brand on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook. About Little Bellies The Little Bellies brand was created by two brothers with seven young children between them, after one of their children was diagnosed with severe food sensitivities. The safe snack options at the time were significantly limited which drove their passion and awareness to develop foods with wholesome ingredients. They wanted to feed their families nothing but the best quality food, free from artificial additives, genetically modified ingredients, unnecessary salt and sugar and with minimal herbicides and pesticides, especially during the formative baby and toddler years. Little Bellies is a brand that understands the joy and challenges of raising happy, healthy children and is committed to creating wholesome snacks that delight little taste buds and make parents smile. As one of the largest baby and toddler snack suppliers in Australia and New Zealand, Little Bellies expanded into the North American market in 2019. For more information, visit
Associated Press
16-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Little Bellies Expands Canadian Lineup with New Organic, Age-and-Stage Appropriate Snacks for Babies and Toddlers
New products rolling out at Loblaws and Walmart offer more adventurous tastes, textures and shapes to support independence and developmental milestones TORONTO, July 16, 2025 /CNW/ -- Little Bellies, Australian-founded baby and toddler snack brand known for its wholesome, age-and-stage appropriate snacks, is further expanding its Canadian range with seven new products designed to support key developmental milestones from 10+ months to toddlerhood. With its existing line catering to babies from 7+ months – including the well-loved puffs, Pick-Me Sticks, and Round-a-Bouts, the lineup has now grown to offer more variety for the 10+ and 12+ months stages. These new additions bring more shapes, flavours and textures that encourage independence and confident self-feeding skills. Now available at Loblaws and Walmart stores nationwide, the expanded range continues Little Bellies' mission to evolve with little ones as they grow. For 10+ Months: More to Explore Range At around 10 months, babies begin mastering rotary jaw movements, making chewing easier and allowing for more textured foods. This stage also brings growing independence in self-feeding. The More To Explore range is designed to support these milestones with melt-in-the-mouth developmentally supportive snacks that encourage chewing, promote fine motor skills and introduce babies to a wider variety of flavours and shapes. In addition to Little Bellies' beloved 10+ months Yogurt Pick-Me Sticks and Softcorn, the More to Explore range now includes: For 12+ Months: Toddlers in Training Range By 12 months, toddlers begin to rely more on solid food as part of their daily feeding routine. The Toddlers In Training range supports this growth by introducing more adventurous shapes, flavours and textures – designed to build independence and confidence at mealtimes. In addition to the 12+ months cookies, the updated lineup includes: Building on its growing presence in Canada, Little Bellies continues to expand its range and retail reach to meet the evolving needs of families. The Australian-founded brand remains committed to its mission of creating snacks that grow with children, while supporting parents as their partner in their children's feeding journey with trusted, organic and wholesome options. 'With our expanded Canadian lineup and retail presence, we're excited to reach even more families with snacks that truly support a child's unique journey of development and discovery,' said Clive Sher, co-founder and managing director of Little Bellies. 'We continue to grow with Canadian families and provide options they feel good about – offering new ways to nurture curiosity, independence and a love of food in little ones. At Little Bellies, we do what's natural, so parents can do what's natural.' Founded in 2011 by brothers Clive and Steven Sher – after Steven's son was diagnosed with severe food sensitivities – Little Bellies was created to offer natural snacks that nurture independence, encourage safe self-feeding and support palate development, without artificial additives or unnecessary ingredients. All Little Bellies products are crafted with carefully selected, organic ingredients and free from artificial colours, flavours and additives. Designed to grow with children from starting solids to toddlerhood, Little Bellies helps parents simplify snack time with developmentally supportive options they can trust. For more information, visit or connect with the brand on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook. About Little Bellies The Little Bellies brand was created by two brothers with seven young children between them, after one of their children was diagnosed with severe food sensitivities. The safe snack options at the time were significantly limited which drove their passion and awareness to develop foods with wholesome ingredients. They wanted to feed their families nothing but the best quality food, free from artificial additives, genetically modified ingredients, unnecessary salt and sugar and with minimal herbicides and pesticides, especially during the formative baby and toddler years. Little Bellies is a brand that understands the joy and challenges of raising happy, healthy children and is committed to creating wholesome snacks that delight little taste buds and make parents smile. As one of the largest baby and toddler snack suppliers in Australia and New Zealand, Little Bellies expanded into the North American market in 2019. For more information, visit SOURCE Little Bellies
Toronto Sun
28-06-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
GUNTER: Protectionist Canadian regulations drive up consumer costs, lower productivity
The Clareview Real Canadian Superstore is seen in Edmonton. Postmedia file This week, Canada's largest grocery retailer, Loblaws, announced it would eliminate property restrictions in its leases with landlords. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 'Wow, Lorne,' you say. 'Thanks for that fascinating glimpse into the scintillating world of commercial real estate.' Actually, the move could mean more competition in the grocery business and lower prices for shoppers. Loblaws includes property restrictions in the leases it negotiates to prevent landlords who want a Loblaws (or one of its other brands like Superstore, City Market and No Frills) from leasing a site to another grocery chain within a fairly large radius. It's a deliberate attempt to limit competition by a retailer that already controls about 30 per cent of grocery marketing in Canada. For reference, Walmart is the largest grocery retailer in the U.S. and it controls around 20 per cent of that market. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More But don't blame Loblaws. While the federal competition bureau has long argued that such competition-limiting rules penalize customers, restraints on competition are the Canadian way. And they generally have the blessing of government regulation to back them up. Consider that the first resolution passed by the current Parliament, after the election and the throne speech by King Charles, was a BQ measure to affirm Canada's commitment to supply management in dairy and other products. It passed unanimously, a sign of just how deeply engrained restraint of free-market competition is in Canada's political psyche. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Most economists accept that supply management in dairy products (mostly milk and cheese) costs the average Canadian household about $400 a year in added cost at the till. The carbon tax certainly drove up prices by raising the cost of producing and delivering foodstuffs, but government-backed trade restrictions add even more. And it's not just groceries. According to data from Conservative party deputy leader, Melissa Lantsman, 'Rogers, Telus, and Bell control 85 per cent of the Canadian wireless market. Six banks hold 90 per cent of all Canadian mortgages. The top five grocery chains have cornered 87 per cent of the grocery business. And just two airlines — WestJet and Air Canada — have locked down over 80 per cent of our airline market.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Not surprisingly, Lantsman didn't mention supply management, presumably because the Conservatives voted right along with the other parties to protect regulated dairy prices and block foreign competition. The Bloc motion prevents supply management from being used as a bargaining chip in any future trade negotiations with the U.S., Europe or elsewhere. But it doesn't end there. As a result of government-approved corporate concentration in the cellphone business, Canada has the highest wireless prices in the world's 48 most-developed countries. Australia has cellular fees less than half of ours and so do the Americans. Curiously, the Australians have even less population density than we do. It used to be claimed by cellphone companies and government regulators like the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) that higher fees were required in Canada because of the cost of building cell networks over such a vast landscape. But Australia is just vast and sparsely populated. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. One of the biggest problems is foreign-ownership restrictions. For decades, federal politicians have been economic nationalists, leery of letting foreign competitors into the Canadian market. A Canadian, for instance, cannot fly on a foreign airline between two Canadian cities. That means we have two national air carriers — and only two — and it costs hundreds more to fly cross-country than it should. While there has been a push, rightly, to bring down interprovincial trade barriers, there has been no corresponding push to eliminate archaic, protectionist regulations that add thousands to the annual costs of Canadian consumers. Another side-effect of our national lack of competition has been a lowering of our industrial productivity. Our governments and industries have become so dependent on a cheap dollar making our exports affordable that they haven't bothered to upgrade equipment, technology or worker training. A little dose of competition would go a long way for consumers and the economy. NHL Sunshine Girls Columnists Sunshine Girls Toronto Raptors
The Star
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Shoppers are wary of digital shelf labels, but a study found they don't lead to price surges
Digital price labels, which are rapidly replacing paper shelf tags at US supermarkets, haven't led to demand-based pricing surges, according to a new study that examined five years' worth of prices at one grocery chain. But some shoppers, consumer advocates and lawmakers remain sceptical about the tiny electronic screens, which let stores change prices instantly from a central computer instead of having workers swap out paper labels by hand. "It's corporations vs. the humans, and that chasm between us goes further and further,' said Dan Gallant, who works in sports media in Edmonton, Canada. Gallant's local Loblaws supermarket recently switched to digital labels. Social media is filled with warnings that grocers will use the technology to charge more for ice cream if it's hot outside, hike the price of umbrellas if it's raining or to gather information about customers. Democratic US Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania fired off a letter to Kroger last fall demanding to know whether it would use its electronic labels as part of a dynamic pricing strategy. Lawmakers in Rhode Island and Maine have introduced bills to limit the use of digital labels. In Arizona, Democratic state Rep. Cesar Aguilar recently introduced a bill that would ban them altogether. The bill hasn't gotten a hearing, but Aguilar said he's determined to start a conversation about digital labels and how stores could abuse them. "Grocery stores study when people go shopping the most. And so you might be able to see a price go down one day and then go up another day,' Aguilar told The Associated Press. Researchers say those fears are misplaced. A study published in late May found "virtually no surge pricing' before or after electronic shelf labels were adopted. The study was authored by Ioannis Stamatopoulos of the University of Texas, Austin, Robert Evan Sanders of the University of California, San Diego and Robert Bray of Northwestern University. Electronic grocery labels are displayed at a Kroger grocery store, in Monroe, Ohio. — AP The researchers looked at prices between 2019 and 2024 at an unnamed grocery chain that began using digital labels in October 2022. They found that temporary price increases affected 0.005% of products on any given day before electronic shelf labels were introduced, a share that increased by only 0.0006 percentage points after digital labels were installed. The study also determined that discounts were slightly more common after digital labels were introduced. Economists have long wondered why grocery prices don't change more often, according to Stamatopoulos. If bananas are about to expire, for example, it makes sense to lower the price on them. He said the cost of having workers change prices by hand could be one issue. But there's another reason: Shoppers watch grocery prices closely, and stores don't want to risk angering them. "Selling groceries is not selling a couch. It's not a one-time transaction and you will never see them again,' Stamatopoulos said. "You want them coming to the store every week.' Electronic price labels aren't new. They've been in use for more than a decade at groceries in Europe and some US retailers, like Kohl's. But they've been slow to migrate to US grocery stores. Only around 5% to 10% of US supermarkets now have electronic labels, compared to 80% in Europe, said Amanda Oren, vice president of industry strategy for North American grocery at Relex Solutions, a technology company that helps retailers forecast demand. Oren said cost is one issue that has slowed the US rollout. The tiny screens cost between US$5 (RM21) and US$20 (RM84), Oren said, but every product a store sells needs one, and the average supermarket has 100,000 or more individual products. Still, the US industry is charging ahead. Walmart, the nation's largest grocer and retailer, hopes to have digital price labels at 2,300 US stores by 2026. Kroger is expanding the use of digital labels this year after testing them at 20 stores. Whole Foods is testing the labels in nearly 50 stores. Companies say electronic price labels have tremendous advantages. Walmart says it used to take employees two days to change paper price labels on the 120,000 items it has in a typical store. With digital tags, it takes a few minutes. The labels can also be useful. Some have codes shoppers can scan to see recipes or nutrition information. Instacart has a system in thousands of US stores, including Aldi and Schnucks, that flashes a light on the digital tag when Instacart shoppers are nearby to help them find products. Ahold Delhaize's Albert Heijn supermarket chain in the Netherlands and Belgium has been testing an artificial intelligence-enabled tool since 2022 that marks down prices on its digital labels every 15 minutes for products nearing expiration. The system has reduced more than 250 tons of food waste annually, the company said. But Warren and Casey are sceptical. In their letter to Kroger, the US senators noted a partnership with Microsoft that planned to put cameras in grocery aisles and offer personalised deals to shoppers depending on their gender and age. In its response, Kroger said the prices shown on its digital labels were not connected to any sort of facial recognition technology. It also denied surging prices during periods of peak demand. "Kroger's business model is built on a foundation of lowering prices to attract more customers,' the company said. Aguilar, the Arizona lawmaker, said he also opposes the transition to digital labels because he thinks they will cost jobs. His constituents have pointed out that grocery prices keep rising even though there are fewer workers in checkout lanes, he said. "They are supposed to be part of our community, and that means hiring people from our community that fill those jobs," Aguilar said. But Relex Solutions' Oren said she doesn't think cutting labour costs is the main reason stores deploy digital price tags. "It's about working smarter, not harder, and being able to use that labour in better ways across the store rather than these very mundane, repetitive tasks,' she said. – AP
Epoch Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Canada's Inflation Rate Falls to 1.7 Percent in April as Carbon Tax Is Lifted
Canada's inflation rate slowed to driven by lower energy prices following the removal of the consumer carbon tax, a ccording to Statistics Canada. The country's inflation rate was at 2.3 percent in March. It fell in April due to a combination of lower energy prices from the carbon tax's removal, decreased oil demand due to U.S. tariffs, and increased oil supplies from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, StatCan says. Energy prices fell 12.7 percent in April following a 0.3 percent decline in March. Year over year, natural gas prices fell 14.1 percent in April after a 6.4 percent gain in March. While energy prices pushed inflation down in April, food prices grew at a faster pace, rising 3.8 percent year-over-year compared to 3.2 percent in March. The largest contributors to the food price increases were items such as fresh vegetables (3.7 percent), beef (16.2 percent), coffee and tea (13. 4 percent), and sugar (8.6 percent). This marks the third month in a row that grocery price increases have outpaced the overall inflation rate. Restaurant food also rose at a faster pace in April, coming in a 3.6 percent compared to 3.2 percent in March. Canada imposed Loblaws recently Related Stories 5/19/2025 5/17/2025 Shortly after taking office on March 14, Prime Minister Mark Carney signed a directive for the consumer carbon tax rate to be cut to zero. The carbon tax came into effect in 2019 at $20 per tonne, and was set to increase until reaching $170 per tonne in 2030. When removing the consumer carbon tax, Carney said the move would 'make a difference to hard-pressed Canadians.' He previously said the carbon tax had become 'too divisive' among Canadians. In commenting on the news of the inflation rate drop on social media, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said though the suspension of the carbon tax had brought down inflation, grocery prices were again rising as 'money-printing deficits continue pushing prices higher.' Poilievre and the Conservatives repeatedly called for the carbon tax to be removed throughout 2023 and 2024, arguing that it was raising the cost of food, fuel, and heating. In April, the Bank of Canada Carney has said he will replace the carbon tax with a 'consumer carbon credit market' integrated into Canada's industrial pricing system, which will reward Canadians for making lower-emission choices while making 'big polluters pay' for those incentives. A recent TD Canada The report said the jump in food inflation is a 'setback' for the Bank of Canada and 'complicates' its path forward on monetary policy. The Bank held its core interest rate steady at 2.75 percent in April due to uncertainty around U.S. tariffs, but TD Bank said it expects there will be two more rate cuts this year due to a slowing labour market and Ottawa offering a temporary reprieve on some tariffs.
