The federal government on Thursday unveiled a $3.2-billion national food security strategy aimed at lowering grocery bills by overhauling how food is grown, processed and sold in Canada.

The multi-year plan, titled “More Choice. More Control. More Canada,” seeks to reduce the country’s dependence on international imports and break the grip of a highly concentrated retail market that officials say has contributed to surging food inflation.

“A country that can’t feed itself or fuel itself or defend itself isn’t truly sovereign. It’s vulnerable to global shocks, it’s vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, vulnerable to tariffs,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said while announcing the strategy in Toronto.