The close of January 2023 will mark the end of the infamous prize freeze on No Name products announced by grocery giant Loblaws last October.

And as the hate rolls in from disgruntled customers, the supermarket chain's social media team is busy defending its controversial business decisions.

Just take a look at the trending topics on Twitter, like 'No Frills' or 'Galen Weston', and you'll see many complaints about the price freeze, which capped the prices on more than 1,500 No Name products.

We froze prices when costs continued to climb. We took a stand on the price freeze because we knew that the price of food was a huge concern for many Canadians.

— Loblaw Companies (@loblawco) January 31, 2023

But in a strange turn of events, Loblaws has been directly responding to criticism, attempting to explain its position and place the blame for grocery inflation elsewhere to just about everyone speaking out about the issue on Twitter.

"We can say with confidence, our profits aren't the reason for food inflation. Our grocery food margins are flat. Supplier's costs to us continue to climb, pushing prices higher," reads one response from the grocery brand.

We’re not done cutting grocery bills. This year, the average family will save thousands of dollars this year if they pick No Name over the national brands.

— Loblaw Companies (@loblawco) January 31, 2023

Think it's wrong that certain No Name products will go back to normal prices? Loblaws also has an answer for that.

"We froze prices when costs continued to climb. We took a stand on the price freeze because we knew that the price of food was a huge concern for many Canadians."

See the past tense used in that statement? It appears, based on this wording, that the brand assumes Canadians are no longer concerned about the price of food.

@CaptainDick12 Food prices are higher in our stores because the manufacturers who make the products are charging more for them. It’s easy to blame grocers for higher grocery prices. But on a $100 grocery bill, we make less than $4 profit.

— Loblaw Companies (@loblawco) January 31, 2023

"We froze prices to help customers at a time they needed it most and we did something to fight inflation. It meant something to Canadians," read another response.

See? Canadians are no longer worried about paying nearly $40 for chicken breasts and other sky-high prices thanks to three months of price freezing on just a selection of items. 

"Food inflation continues and some prices may increase but hundreds of no name products will not go up," is another response, though they do not specify which products may increase.

We froze prices until the end of January to help customers at a time they needed it most. Today, no name products are generally cheaper than equivalent national brands and we’ll continue to save Canadians money when they switch to no name

— Loblaw Companies (@loblawco) January 31, 2023

Perhaps one of the most infuriating stock PR responses is Loblaws' claim they are not the ones to be blamed for your soaring grocery bills.

"While we may be the face of food inflation but we are certainly not the cause. Food prices are higher in our stores simply because the manufacturers who make the products are charging more for them."

It's important to note that Loblaws Companies Ltd. reported an approximate 30 per cent increase in profits over last year.

We can say with confidence, our profits aren't the reason for food inflation. Our grocery food margins are flat. Suppliers’ costs to us continue to climb, pushing prices higher.

— Loblaw Companies (@loblawco) January 31, 2023

They continue to say it's the manufacturers' fault for higher prices and claim they don't make as much money as you'd think.

"Food prices are higher in our stores because the manufacturers who make the products are charging more for them. It's easy to blame grocers for higher grocery prices. But on a $100 grocery bill, we make less than $4 profit," they said.

The price freeze was definitely counterproductive from a public relations standpoint, seeing as it brought in even more hate for Galen Weston Jr., but Loblaws seems to think it was a move worth celebrating.

No Name has been described as the biggest price freeze in the world, and we’re not done cutting grocery bills. This year, the average family will save thousands of dollars this year if they pick No Name over the national brands.

— Loblaw Companies (@loblawco) January 31, 2023

Some have responded to this take that the now infamous price freeze was all just a PR stunt, alleging it was a regularly scheduled annual freeze that most grocers do at that time of year, and Loblaws was merely publicizing it as a new policy.

All of these responses have Twitter users jokingly questioning if these PR and social media workers are being held hostage by Loblaws.

Taking into account how many negative responses there are on just Twitter alone, it's likely going to be a long day at the keyboard for that social media team.