This Montreal-area store sells expired food for cheap
It looks like any other store — but it’s not. Many of the products at Liquidation Marie have passed their posted best before date.
"Customers are willing to save money and buy some expired things,” says store owner Marie-Eve Breton.
Breton spent the day stocking the shelves of her fourth location.
She sources surplus from other stores, and then sells it at reduced prices. Some of the offerings like the meats are nearing expiry but not there yet. Many of the cheeses are also discounted.
Customers' reactions are mixed.
“We have the kind that’s very shocked, and we have the kind [that says] ‘Oh Marie, it’s not a big deal.’”
One of the best deals is a 12-pack of energy bars with a price tag of just $5. In other stores, the same product can cost up to $27. The difference is that at Liquidation Marie, the bars passed their best before date in August.
Not everyone is happy about the savings though. Breton says some people have even called Quebec's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to complain.
But a ministry spokesperson told CTV News many foods can be safely consumed after their best before dates if they show no obvious signs of spoilage.
Sylvain Charlebois, director at the Dalhousie University Agri-food Analytics Lab, says more people are looking for bargains nowadays.
“The food rescuing economy is growing through these stores and my guess is traffic is increasing due to higher food prices,” he adds.
It's up to shoppers to decide whether they want to savour the savings when the Saint-Jérôme store officially opens Thursday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Canada will cut its permanent immigration levels by at least 20 per cent
Canada will lower the number of permanent immigrants it allows into the country by at least 20 per cent from its previous target of 500,000, CTV News confirmed Wednesday.
CEO of N.B. potato chip company taking 'extended leave of absence' after arrest
The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.
Trudeau says Liberals 'strong and united' despite caucus dissent
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Liberal party is 'strong and united,' despite efforts from within his caucus to oust him as leader.
Memorial growing outside Halifax Walmart where employee was found dead
A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.
Search efforts begin at Prairie Green Landfill: Manitoba government
A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.
'Canadians can breathe a sigh of relief': Bank of Canada Governor on interest rate cut
The Bank of Canada made a sizable cut to its key lending rate Wednesday from 4.25 per cent to 3.75 per cent as the global economy continues to expand. The half percentage point cut is the fourth rate cut in a row by the central bank as inflation dropped from 2.7 per cent in June to 1.6 per cent in September.
'Things are very hard here': Popular Toronto crossing guard asks community for help finding work
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
Quarter Pounders are off the menu at 20 per cent of McDonald's in U.S. as E. coli cases are investigated
McDonald’s worked Wednesday to reassure customers that its U.S. restaurants are safe as federal investigators tried to pinpoint the cause of a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to the fast-food giant's Quarter Pounder hamburgers.
Turkish jets strike Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria following attack on defence company
Turkiye’s air force struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday in apparent retaliation for an attack at a key state-run defence company that killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others.