Do you look at grocery flyers? If yes, the findings of a recent Canadian study may surprise you!

Background

A group of researchers from Saint Mary’s University, Dalhousie University and the University of Waterloo looked at 53 grocery flyers from both discount and regular banner stores across Canada in 2014, 2017 and 2021.

The flyers were collected at least twice each year and not during calendar holidays such as Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day or Easter since theme-related foods tend to be advertised at these times.

In total, 8790 foods and beverages were reviewed for their nutritional quality.

What the study found

Baked products were the largest category of foods advertised in food flyers, making up on average 11% of the entire flyer. Next were non-alcoholic beverages (excluding milk) at 10.7% and then milk / dairy products at 10.2% of the total items found in the flyers.

Vegetables and fruits only comprised 8.3% and 6.5% respectively of the foods advertised in the flyers. Meat products came in at 7.2% and snacks at 5.1%.

When reviewing the nutritional value of the foods / beverages in the flyer, more than half of the items advertised were considered ultra-processed and did not align with Canada’s Food Guide. About one-third of the items in the flyer were unprocessed or minimally processed.

Interestingly, the foods items shown on the flyer cover page were consistently more likely to follow the advice of Canada’s Food Guide. This observation was noticed in both discount and regular banner store flyers located in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, but not for Western Canada. (The research authors didn’t explain why this wasn’t noted in Western Canada.)

The bottom line

This was the first nationwide observational study of grocery flyers in Canada and the first to analyze multiple years of flyer data.

As a dietitian, I often suggest planning your weekly meals based on the foods that are on sale. Since the healthier foods are typically found on the first page of the flyer, spend more time looking there and then scan the rest of the flyer for additional items to round out your grocery list.

Research cited: Alisson Dykeman MAHSR, Gabriella Luongo PhD, Leia Minaker PhD, Emily Jago MHK, and Catherine L. Mah MD, PhD . Ultra-processed Foods Frequently Promoted in Canada’s Grocery Flyers from 2014, 2017, and 2021, with Healthier Cover Pages. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research (2025, July 14). https://doi.org/10.3148/cjdpr-2025-017