Loblaws confirmed it stopped holding prices of No Name products this week. .“During the price freeze, Canadians who chose No Name over the big-name brands saved hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Loblaw Public Relations in a Thursday statement..“In the meantime, food inflation has continued and the cost to stock our shelves has gone up, month after month.”.Loblaws said in October it would not be raising prices on No Name grocery items sold in Canadian stores until January 31. .READ MORE: Loblaws freezes prices of No Name products until January.“That could make a real difference in both your grocery bills and your peace of mind,” said Loblaws President Galen Weston Jr..“You’ll know that if other food prices go up, No Name prices won’t … guaranteed.” .Loblaw Public Relations said looking ahead, it will “continue to hold those prices flat wherever possible, and switching to No Name will still save the average family thousands this year.”.The Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG) said Thursday Frito-Lay would be raising prices on its products in Canada by 10%. .CFIG spokesperson Gary Sands said while he does not speak for major grocery store chains such as Metro, Loblaws, and Sobey's, the almost 7,000 small businesses the group represents are in no position to swallow the cost increase.."If you are an independent grocer on very tight margins, around 2%, and you get handed double-digit increases in any product, you have no choice but to pass it on," said Sands. .Inflation in Canada was at 6.8% on a year-over-year basis in November, down from a 6.9% gain in October, according to December data from Statistics Canada. .READ MORE: Inflation in Canada falls to 6.8% in November.Excluding food and energy, prices rose 5.4% on a yearly basis in November, following a 5.3% gain in October. Slower price growth for gas and furniture was offset by higher costs for mortgage interest and rent..Food prices went up by 11.4% in November, compared to this time last year. Food inflation remained broad-based, with grocery prices rising at a faster rate than every other item every month for the past year.
