'Racism is next level': Canadian grocery store faces backlash for locking ghee and South Asian products

In March 2026, videos from a Canadian grocery store took the internet by storm. A user took to TikTok to share clips of ghee and other South Asian products being locked behind glass shelves.The store was No Frills, located in Scarborough. “They done locked up the f***ing Ghee guys,” she said. “What have you guys been doing?” Soon another resident in Brampton posted a similar video and one in Mississauga followed up.The videos quickly gained traction on the internet, making customers question why a grocery store meant to sell the products would keep them under lock and key. Many pointed out how the products were mostly South Asian and highlighted the disguised racism behind the move."Funny they never lock up soy sauce, ranch, Tabasco. Only black and brown products. What could be the reason," wrote a user."Yes. It's true. A Canadian supermarket hates indians so much, they're locking up the butter instead of just removing it from inventory," shared another."We need to start suing these companies, the racism is next level," said another.In an email to Now Toronto recently, Loblaw Companies Limited, the parent company of No Frills confirmed that it was keeping certain products locked up due to theft.“Retailers have had to introduce solutions to help address this issue,” the company explained. “In our stores, that includes measures like securing certain high-theft products in locked cabinets. These decisions are based on product-level theft trends and store-specific conditions.”Ghee or clarified butter is most commonly used when making parathas, an Indian flatbread and is mostly used in South Asian countries.In response, many users noted they understood why people were stealing the product due to the rising cost of commodities and the poor state of the economy.“Call me too woke but idc if someone steals from a grocery store owned by a multi-million dollar company. Esp in this economy,” said one. “Is anyone realising that the ghee is like damn near $17? People are stealing because people are starving,” they said.Interestingly, this is not the first time a store has been called out for locking up products used by a specific marginalised racial demographic. Previously, Walmart was called out for locking Black hair care products behind a locked glass. The company similarly claimed that it was because of high theft and not race-related.