Everyone’s got a grocery store they default to, whether it’s the one closest to home, the one with the better prices, or the one where the produce doesn’t go bad after 24 hours in the fridge.
As it turns out, those little loyalties add up, and BrandSpark’s 2026 Most Trusted Awards give us a pretty good indication of where local folks spend their money every week.
The study, released at the end of 2025, reflects the opinions of 45,394 Canadian shoppers, who collectively provided 240,033 brand evaluations across 363 categories, making it the largest survey of its kind in the country. To formulate the results, participants were simply asked, unprompted, which brand they trust most in a given category. A winner is only declared once that brand pulls ahead by a statistically significant margin or clears 10% trust share, with a 3% cushion built in for ties.
Grocery stores get their own separate breakdown for Quebec, and this year, one chain barely left room for anyone else.
Here’s how the province voted, category by category, and how those results compare to what won nationally.
Best Conventional Grocery Store
Quebec shoppers named IGA their most trusted conventional grocery store, and Metro landed in second. Things looked different elsewhere. Sobeys took the Atlantic region, Metro topped the list in Ontario on its own, and out west, a three-way tie was called between Real Canadian Superstore, Safeway and Save On Foods.
Best Grocery Store Bakery
IGA held onto the top spot for bakery too. Metro came in second, and Première Moisson rounded out third for Quebec. In Atlantic Canada, the win went to Sobeys, while Ontario was claimed by Metro alone. Out west, Safeway led the pack.
Best Grocery Store for Customer Service
This one wasn’t quite as clean a sweep. IGA still finished first in Quebec, with Maxi trailing in second and a tie between Metro and Super C for third. The rest of the country split by region: Sobeys took Atlantic Canada, No Frills and Walmart tied in Ontario, and Walmart tied again out west, this time with Real Canadian Superstore.
Best Grocery Store for Fresh Meat & Seafood
IGA was named the winner here as well, with Metro in second and Maxi in third. Sobeys won Atlantic Canada, Metro and No Frills were tied in Ontario, and Real Canadian Superstore came out on top out west.
Best Grocery Store for Fresh Prepared Foods
Metro was edged out by IGA once again for the Quebec win. Sobeys kept its grip on Atlantic Canada, Metro and No Frills tied in Ontario, and a three-way tie between Costco, Real Canadian Superstore and Safeway decided things out west.
Best Grocery Store for Fresh Produce
Produce was the one category where IGA had to share the crown. IGA and Maxi were tied for first in Quebec, and Metro and Super C tied for third. Nationally, Ontario went to No Frills, Atlantic Canada stayed loyal to Sobeys, and the west was won by Real Canadian Superstore.
Best Grocery Store for Low Prices/Affordability
Maxi was voted Quebec’s most trusted store for low prices, with Super C close behind in second. Nationally, though, a different chain takes the title: No Frills was named the top choice across Canada as a whole, followed by Walmart and then Maxi in third.
Best Grocery Store for Natural/Organic Foods
This category wasn’t broken down by region, so the national and Quebec results can be compared directly. Nationally, Avril and Whole Foods Market were tied for first, but in Quebec, the tie was broken and Avril took the outright win.
Best Grocery Store for Store Brand/Private Label Products
Another split result was recorded here. No Frills was named the national winner, ahead of Walmart and Costco, while Quebec shoppers gave the title to Maxi instead.
You can explore the entire awards list here.
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