You’re at the grocery store looking to support local companies and producers, but all the labels are different. You’re seeing “Made in Canada”, “Product of Canada”, and more while wondering what everything means.
The various labels can be overwhelming, especially if it’s not something you’re used to looking out for, so we’ve made a handy guide to help inform you a little more before your next trip to the store.
Product of Canada:
The item contains at least 98% Canadian content.
This typically means that virtually all ingredients or components of a product originate in Canada – think of dairy products like milk, cottage cheese and yogurt originating from Canadian cows, Maple syrup from Canadian trees, or even a pie made from eggs, flour, and fruit originating in Canada.
Made in Canada:
The item contains at least 51% Canadian content (but less than 98%) and the last substantial transformation (like turning dough, sauce and cheese into a pizza) of the product happened in Canada.
When the “Made in Canada” label is used for food, it is required to also have a quantifying statement that tells you whether the item is made in Canada from imported ingredients (eg. the pizza was made in Canada, but the dough, sauce and cheese came from outside the country) or it was made in Canada from domestic & imported ingredients (eg. the pizza was made in Canada with Canadian dairy and dough, but the sauce is imported).
100% Canadian:
All the ingredients, processing and labour used to make the item is Canadian.
You may see this label alone, or used to highlight where certain ingredients come from as part of “Made in Canada” claims. For example, certain brands may have a label saying a product contains “100% Canadian wheat” meaning all of the wheat and any products derived from wheat (like bran) are Canadian.
Roasted and blended in Canada:
Coffee beans are always imported, so some Canadian roasters may use this to let consumers know the roasting and blending of the beans happened in Canada.
Distilled/Canned/Processed/Prepared in Canada:
This typically means that the product has originated elsewhere, but the distilling, canning, processing or preparation was done in Canada.
Packaged in Canada:
This typically means that the product is imported in bulk and then packaged in Canada.
Prepared for:
The food/product was prepared for a certain retailer in Canada, but this doesn’t necessarily mean it originated/ was prepared in Canada.
Labels vary quite a bit, but should mostly fall into these general guidelines. If you’re making it a point to shop Canadian products, be sure to always check the packaging (if applicable) to see the origins for yourself as some stores are not able to consistently label Canadian products on their shelves.
You can also visit the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s website for even more examples and variations of food and packaging labels.
