CAMP Statement on Nortera’s proposed acquisition of B&G’s Green Giant and Le Sieur Canadian vegetable business

August 19, 2026 [Ottawa, ON] – The Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project (CAMP) welcomes the Competition Bureau’s challenge of Nortera Foods’ proposed acquisition of B&G Foods Canada’s Green Giant and Le Sieur vegetable businesses, a takeover that would further concentrate the supply of staple foods Canadians buy every week. 

The Competition Bureau alleges that Nortera is already the dominant processor of certain canned and frozen vegetables in Canada. Selling products under the Del Monte and Arctic Gardens brands, as well as retailer private-label products, Nortera competes with B&G’s Green Giant and Le Sieur brands. According to the Bureau, the proposed acquisition would eliminate Nortera’s only major national branded competitor in an already highly concentrated market. 

“This is exactly where Canadians need strong merger enforcement,” said Keldon Bester, Executive Director of the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project. “Canadians are already paying close attention to the cost of putting food on the table. Allowing a major supplier to buy one of its closest competitors risks would leave retailers and shoppers with fewer alternatives and have Canadian households paying the price.” 

The Bureau alleges that alternative suppliers are unlikely to provide enough competitive pressure if that rivalry disappears. It has asked the Competition Tribunal both to prevent the transaction from closing while the case is heard and ultimately to block the acquisition. 

“Protecting affordability means stopping harmful concentration before it happens,” Bester said. “We’re late to waking up to the dangers of consolidation, but today is as good as any other to learn from our mistakes. The Bureau is right to intervene and the Tribunal should block this deal.” 

The Bureau’s challenge underscores the importance of looking across Canada’s food system when examining the forces affecting grocery prices. Competition between processors, manufacturers and other suppliers shapes the prices and choices available to retailers and, ultimately, consumers. Effective merger enforcement is one of the most important tools Canada has to prevent those markets from becoming harder to compete in and more expensive for Canadians.