Canadian shoppers are calling out Sobeys for posting signs suggesting they buy food from the grocer to donate to food banks, but it's not the full story.

Reddit user Indolent_Bastard shared a photo last Friday of a sign at a grocery store that reads "Most needed food bank item. Purchase today and donate." The sign is placed on a shelf of Campbell's soup cans.

"They create food insecurity, and now this…" wrote the Reddit user.

The Redditor told us that the post is tagged under "Sobeys Stupidity" because he saw the sign at a FreshCo location in Kingston, Ontario. FreshCo is a chain of discount supermarkets owned by Sobeys.

They create food insecurity, and now this...
byu/Indolent_Bastard inloblawsisoutofcontrol

Shoppers flooded the comments, sharing why they were frustrated with this suggestion by a grocery giant.

"I'm all for helping those in need, but what I hate is when billion-dollar companies ask me to spend my hard-earned, underpaid wage on food for the needy when they themselves do f**k all and their CEOs continuously get larger bonuses every year," reads one comment.

For example, a recent report from Loblaw revealed an increase in profits, suggesting that the Weston family's earnings have remained unaffected by anti-Loblaw sentiment in the past few months.

"How dare they exploit the problem they created with this type of advertising? No one is fooled," replied a shopper on the Reddit post.

"'Donate this… but give us half the value in profit. Castles don't maintain themselves!' This is all I see🤷," added another.

Others say they would instead donate cash directly to food banks.

"The most-needed food bank item is money. Cash donations go a lot further than a can of soup," reads one comment.

The original poster wonders why the store doesn't donate food or lower prices.

Comment
byu/Indolent_Bastard from discussion
inloblawsisoutofcontrol

However, the shoppers may not know the backstory.

In an email statement, a Sobeys spokesperson clarified that the "Most Needed Items" campaign was created in consultation with several food banks to help customers identify items that reflect the needs of those who use food banks.

"Providing an opportunity for customers to choose items for their local food bank and donate in designated bins has been in place for decades," stated the spokesperson. "This recent update was in response to requests from our local food bank partners to provide clearer messaging to encourage items with higher nutritional value."

Other shoppers spotted the "most needed" food bank signs months before Indolent_Bastard's post.

I'm not surprised this is a 'most needed item', three years ago you could get them for 99c
byu/gotafeel inloblawsisoutofcontrol

"In addition to community-level cash contributions, last year alone, our food rescue program donated more than one million meals to families across Canada," added the Sobeys spokesperson.

What do you think about grocery chains asking you to buy items from them to donate to food banks?