Meat cleaves grocer's tie to Sobeys

GLENN LOWSON/FOR THE TORONTO STAR 

Ex-franchisee goes independent to gain right to sell beef, pork, poultry
produced locally

Jul 18, 2009 04:30 AM 

Emily Mathieu 
Staff Reporter Toronto Star 

A small Ontario grocery chain has cut its ties with one of the country's
largest food suppliers because it wants to support local farmers.

Dale Kropf and his family run six stores in southwestern Ontario and
wanted to sell meat produced by area farmers. 

But he said the stores' supplier, Sobeys, prevented them from selling
meat not slaughtered in federally inspected abattoirs. 

"Let's face it, when you are as big as (Sobeys) you need to bring in
Alberta beef and have a supply coast-to-coast, so they are shutting out
all the local people," Kropf said.

Jill Thomas Myrick, director of communications and corporate affairs for
Sobeys Inc., said it is company policy to purchase meat products
primarily from federally inspected facilities.

"We do that to ensure a consistent supply, quality and fair price, as
well as food safety," she said.

When it comes to produce, she said, if there is a choice Sobeys will buy
"local first."

Kropf, 48, said he wanted to go as local as possible. So, on July 3, he
and his family removed the Sobey-affiliated Foodland banner from five
stores, renaming them L&M Markets 2009 Ltd.

L&M still buys processed meats from a branch of Sobeys, but now it gets
beef, pork and poultry from local farmers.

Said Kropf: "The single largest thing is that now we can react to the
people in our marketplace. I think really deep down what (Sobeys) wanted
was control so they could dictate the price."

Locally produced meat must pass through a provincially inspected
abattoir before it can be sold to the public. It is intended for local
consumption and so cannot be sold outside Ontario.

The federal government is responsible for inspecting meat shipped across
Canada or to international markets.

The province's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs says the
level of food safety is the same at both levels. Said ministry
spokesperson Brent Ross: "Our rules are just as rigorous as the federal
government's rules, as are our inspections."

The Kropfs have been in the grocery business for 44 years, operating in
the towns of Arthur, Durham, Elora, Harriston, Dundalk and Palmerston,
north and west of Toronto.

Sobeys owns or franchises more than 1,300 stores across the country
under retail banners that include Sobeys, IGA extra, IGA, Foodland,
Price Chopper and Thrifty Foods. 

Both sides were tight-lipped on what it takes to sever ties with a major
chain. 

Thomas Myrick said business information between Sobeys and its market
partners is confidential. 

Said Kropf: "I can't say anything negative. It wasn't necessarily easy
because no one wants to lose anybody."

On the same day the Kropf family went independent, four additional
Ontario grocers followed suit. Together they form the Hometown Grocers
Co-operative.

With files from Rita Trichur