In an increasingly connected world, study shows that two-thirds of Canadians are eating alone

TORONTO, June 13, 2017 /CNW/ - Inspiring Canadians to connect by sharing a meal, President's Choice® (PC®) is declaring June 29^th Eat Together Day, supported by a series of challenges and events across the country. PC®'s mission to get Canadians back together at the table began earlier this year with the release of its Eat Together film, celebrating the social power of food to bring people together.

"The response to the #EatTogether initiative has been remarkable and Canadians are talking about the benefits of gathering at the table," said Galen G. Weston, Chairman and CEO, Loblaw Companies Limited. "On June 29^th, Eat Together Day, we challenge Canadians to imagine the impact we could have if, just a little more often, we took the time to eat together."

Canadians agree* that when families eat together children grow up happier and healthier (93%) and teens build stronger relationships with their parents (94%).  When people eat together, they see each other as equals (78%) and connect with one another (94%). Despite these and other benefits of this simple act, recent Dalhousie University research found that two out of three Canadians eat alone most of the time**. 

"Canadians tell us they are moving away from sitting down and eating with one another, and that could have consequences for our society," says Sylvain Charlebois, Dean of the Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University. "Initiatives like Eat Together remind us of the importance of sharing meals and will hopefully encourage Canadians to embrace the potential of connecting through food."                                                                                                          

In our country's 150^th year, the act of families and communities eating together is a strong metaphor for our national identity and values. To address the trend of Canadians eating alone, Loblaw is inviting its nearly 200,000 employees, thousands of business partners, and all Canadians to participate in weekly Eat Together challenges, building towards the first ever Eat Together Day.

For weekly challenges or inspiration for Eat Together Day, Canadians can visit http://www.facebook.com/PCEatTogether. Also, on June 29^th, Loblaw grocery store banners, including Loblaws®, Loblaws CityMarket®, Your Independent Grocer®, Zehrs®, Provigo®, Dominion® and Atlantic Superstore® will be hosting public BBQs in hundreds of locations across the country.

*A survey commissioned by President's Choice (methodology below)
**Dalhousie University's May 2017 study: Disintegration of food habits: A look at the socioeconomics of food, the blurring lines between traditional meals and out-of-household food consumption

About Loblaw Companies Limited:
Loblaw Companies Limited is Canada's food and pharmacy leader, the nation's largest retailer, and the majority unit holder of Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust. Loblaw provides Canadians with grocery, pharmacy, health and beauty, apparel, general merchandise, banking, and wireless mobile products and services. With more than 2,300 corporate, franchised and Associate-owned locations, Loblaw, its franchisees, and Associate-owners employ approximately 200,000 full and part-time employees, making it one of Canada's largest private sector employers.

Loblaw's purpose – Live Life Well – puts first the needs and well-being of Canadians who make one billion transactions annually in the companies' stores. Loblaw is positioned to meet and exceed those needs in many ways: convenient locations; more than 1,050 grocery stores that span the value spectrum from discount to specialty; full-service pharmacies at more than 1,300 Shoppers Drug Mart^® and Pharmaprix^® locations and more than 500 Loblaw locations; PC Financial^® no-fee banking; affordable Joe Fresh^® fashion and family apparel; and three of Canada's top consumer brands in Life Brand^®, no name^® and President's Choice^®. Through the PC Plus^® and Shoppers Optimum^® loyalty programs, more than one in every three Canadians are rewarded for shopping with the companies.

About the President's Choice Survey:
From March 16th to March 20^th, 2017 two separate online surveys were conducted. The first survey was among 1,511 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists, and the results were statistically weighted according to education, age, gender and region (and in Quebec, language) Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. The margin of error for the first survey—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. The second survey was conducted among 2,461 randomly selected adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists, in the provinces of Ontario (n=508), Alberta (n=508), Quebec (n=506), British Columbia (n=506), PEI (n=126), and Nova Scotia (n=311). The margin of error for the second survey is +/- 2.0%, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

SOURCE Loblaw Companies Limited

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