The New Brunswick government has backed down on a proposal that grocery stores be given an option to ask for proof of vaccination to enter a store. The idea behind the proposal was intended to be an option to distancing requirements.

The NB government issued the original measure on December 4, 2021, but many in the legal community were quick to criticize the measure, including The Justice Centre, which sent a demand letter to the government noting that the "right to food is a fundamental human right" that the actional was "discriminatory and constitutional" policy.

The NB government, which revised the measure on December 17, said in a press release that the "option allowing stores that sell groceries to ask patrons 12 and over for proof of vaccination, instead of implementing distancing requirements, is being removed from the province’s mandatory order.” NB provincial health minister Dorothy Shephard said in the release that “the original intention was to give stores a choice, and that those choosing the proof-of-vaccination option would offer delivery or curbside pickup; it was never the intention for anyone to believe they could not access groceries.”