Can a price freeze chill inflation? What to know as grocers fight for your dollar

Grocers say they're taking steps to ease the impact of inflation on Canadians. But how much of a difference will it make on your bill, and is it worth changing stores for?

With eye-popping inflation hitting most aisles of the grocery store, some chains are working harder than ever with deals and pledges to lure in shoppers.

Grocery and finance experts tell Global News that switching stores for the best deal can sometimes help shave cents off your final bill, but few expect recent promises from major grocers to help Canadians fight inflation.

Grocery bills have been a particular source of pain for households this year, as the surging price of food has consistently outpaced the general inflation rate over the last 10 months, according to Statistics Canada.

Inflation on items from the grocery store was up 11.4 per cent last month, setting a new 41-year high.

Sylvain Charlebois, director for the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, says it was a well-timed decision, then, for Loblaw to announce a price freeze on its No Name brand items on Monday, getting ahead of the latest Consumer Price Index figures.

Charlebois gives “credit” to Loblaw for the move, which applies to more than 1,500 items and runs from November to January — covering the lucrative holiday shopping season for the grocery giant.

He adds that the wide breadth of goods offered in the line can see shoppers create a complete “portfolio of products,” should they want to adapt their habits to take advantage of the price freeze.

While Charlebois tells Global News it’s a month or two “too late,” he says that with many Canadians pointing the finger at grocers themselves for the soaring cost of food, it falls to the chains to show they’re taking Canadians seriously.