‘Why do you hate poor people?’: Toronto resident slams alleged false advertising of dollar store foods

A Toronto local is voicing concerns over alleged false advertising of a Regal Kitchen Foods product at Dollar Tree, saying it’s stripping lower-income people of dignity with a nutritionally poor meal.

On July 7, third-year social work student Tim Campbell went to Dollar Tree to buy a low-priced meal to showcase what low-income people eat as part of a photo series project.

Upon opening the package, Campbell was disappointed to see the meal didn’t live up to the advertised image on the package.

@timcampbellsms @Dollar Tree can you explain this food? I am a social work student who on a project is using arts to communicate social justice issues like food insecurity, and it's pretty insulting when packaged food looks one way but what comes out of the package is different in how little it offers from the package. This is an injustice against people who would rely on this food. #socialworkstudent #socialwork ♬ original sound – TimCampbellSMS 🇨🇦

In their TikTok video, Campbell explained that there were no carrots or red bell peppers in the meal, that the peas were “the palest green you’ve ever seen,” and that it had barely any corn.

“It strips people who would have to be buying this, it strips dignity away, it’s false advertising, and it’s also kind of exploitative because like who’s actually like are blowing up going to complain the ones who are gonna actually contact the company? No. So they can get away with this kind of thing,” they said in the video.

Campbell explained in the video that their mom had to access Dollar Tree stores and food banks to “put food on the table,” so seeing this allegedly falsely advertised product was frustrating to them.

“My primary emotion was anger. I mean, I did feel disappointed, I felt some betrayal, but under all of it, there’s an underlying emotion: anger. That feeling like this isn’t right,” they told Now Toronto.

So, Campbell took the initiative to contact the manufacturer, Regal Kitchen Foods, to voice their concerns.

Campbell explained that they chatted with a spokesperson via WhatsApp, sent the photo, and allegedly received this reply: “Product pictures used is just a serving suggestion and may be different to the product size.”

Then, Campbell explained that the product did not match the photograph. That’s when the spokesperson requested a batch number, which Campbell sent on July 8.

Weeks later, Campbell hadn’t received an update, and on July 21, decided to take their experience online.

One question they had for Dollar Tree and Regal Kitchen Foods was, “Why do you hate poor people?”

“It was a direct call out and acknowledgement where people who are more likely to be low-income, who are going to be maybe housing insecure or food insecure, they are more likely to be getting their food from there,” they explained. “This is causing direct harm to the people most likely to purchase this product.”

Campbell added that displaying a false image of the product strips people of dignity.

“Dignity means respect, value and caring for other people… I don’t think you show respect to people, and definitely not your consumers in this case, when there is such a difference between what’s on the package and what’s in the container, and who the audience is in this context, which is people who are more likely to be low-income or food insecure,” they explained.

After Campbell’s TikTok went viral, they noticed that this issue isn’t isolated, but rather part of a larger pattern.

“When this video blew up, people started naming other stores, not just dollar stores, where they noticed this happening… So I no longer believe that it’s an isolated incident. I do think it is much more widespread,” they said.

Campbell explained that a meal for someone on a low income is more than just food.

“Beyond calories, a meal represents safety and security, some sense of stability. I think it also represents hope. You eat to fuel yourself to keep going.”

So, Campbell hopes their video sparks conversation among businesses and government. More government interventions around food security and insecurity, and more strategies around housing or support for older adults.

“Everybody deserves access to nutrient-dense food in a way that is dignified,” Campbell said.

They’re also hoping that retailers pay more attention to their advertising and respond to their video.

“Be honest about what’s in the package, and if you’re not happy with what’s in the package, change it,” Campbell said.

Now Toronto obtained a report by Regal Kitchen Foods sent in response to Campbell detailing the incident, including preventative measures to prevent possible errors.

“Based on our investigation, including the evaluation of retention samples from the same production batch, no deviations were identified. The retention samples complied with the approved product specification and formulation,” the report read in part. 

“Red bell pepper is added in paste form and therefore is not expected to remain visible as separate pieces in the finished product. Carrot and corn are added as solid particulates during automatic batch mixing.”

Addressing Campbell’s colour complaints, Regal Kitchen Foods added that the product gets commercially sterilized at approximately 121°C, softening vegetable tissue, shrinkage, and reducing the colour contrast of carrot and corn. 

“We sincerely regret the concern caused regarding the product’s appearance,” the company added. “Considering the customer’s feedback, we have initiated a review of the product image to ensure that it provides a clear and appropriate representation of the prepared product.” 

Now Toronto also reached out to Dollar Tree and Regal Kitchen Foods for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.