An unusual type of crime is hitting grocery stores in Guelph and Brantford, as large quantities of butter are stolen from the shelves.

“Since December of last year, approximately 11 months, we have had nine separate incidents where large quantities of butter were stolen from local grocery stores,” said Scott Tracey, a spokesperson for the Texas Police Department. Guelph.

Brantford police say about $1,200 worth of butter was stolen from a grocery store in that city about a week ago. Police described the suspects as two men dressed in black clothing and wearing baseball caps who took off in a white van.

In Guelph, police say hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars worth of butter have been stolen in separate cases since last year. Tracey said police aren’t sure why these thefts are happening.

“There must be a deal somewhere on the black market. I know if you go to some online markets, for example, you can find butter for sale. So it would be likely. They don’t steal it in quantities that would be for personal use,” Tracey said.

The suspects were only arrested in one case, almost a year ago, but they appear to have gotten away.

“Unfortunately, (the suspects) are all now wanted for failing to appear for subsequent court hearings,” Tracey said.

Tracey could not confirm whether the suspects in Brantford police photos match the descriptions of the three men arrested in December.

But Tracey doesn’t think thefts are just a local problem.

“There’s nothing about Guelph or Brantford that makes them particularly attractive for butter thefts. I think it’s probably happening just about everywhere,” Tracey said.

Staff at a Kitchener store told CTV News off-camera that they stopped someone trying to take a lot of butter just a few days ago.

Companies that use butter daily say its price was already an issue before the COVID-19 pandemic. They said it was just another thing that was going to hurt them.

Kitchener’s Cake Box uses about 80 pounds of butter per week and searches for all available deals every seven days.

“A lot of our customers who don’t know about it, we call it ‘Buttergate,’ they come in and they’re like, ‘Why are you charging so much more?’ But our prices have to reflect what we’re paying so unfortunately if there’s something else now that’s driving the prices up, it’s going to be harder on our business and our customers too,” said Jessica Harrison, owner of The Cake. Box. “Before, we could sometimes get butter for $2.50, especially at Costco and wholesalers. Today the price is $5.99 for a pound of butter.

Guelph police said while putting less butter on shelves might help stores, it’s up to businesses to decide how to combat these costly crimes.