Once again, it took the media to remind us that food fraud is not a relic of the past – it is very much a present-day risk embedded in our food system.

After the maple syrup scandal, CBC News has uncovered yet another troubling issue: inaccurate scales at the meat counter.

CHARLEBOIS: Canada’s meat scales are off – and so is oversight Back to video

This is not anecdotal noise. It is a structural concern. When consumers pay for more than they actually receive, the consequence is not just irritation – it is a silent erosion of trust in one of the most expensive categories in the grocery store.

The implications are far from trivial. Canada counts roughly 16 million households, each spending over $16,000 annually on food. If about 20% of that goes to meat, we are looking at a $50-billion market. The discrepancies identified suggest overcharges ranging between 4% and 11% on affected packages. If this were systemic – which it likely is not – the exposure would be staggering.

But even under conservative assumptions, where only 10% to 25% of transactions are impacted, the national cost still ranges from roughly $200 million to $1.4 billion annually. That is not statistical noise; it is a hidden tax on........

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