Why Is It So Hard to Buy Canadian?

Given Canada Day just passed, there is merit in revisiting how we can identify Canadian products in the grocery store. Canadians have become much more interested in supporting domestic food products. Walk through any grocery store today and you'll see maple leaves on packaging, shelf tags highlighting Canadian products, and advertising encouraging us to "buy Canadian." The challenge is that not all Canadian claims mean the same thing. Additionally, there are some things simple labels won’t tell us.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has established guidelines for claims such as "Product of Canada" and "Made in Canada" to help consumers understand where a food comes from and how much of it is actually Canadian. Understanding these distinctions can help shoppers make informed choices and avoid being misled by vague marketing.

The most important takeaway is that not all Canadian claims mean the same thing. By understanding the distinction between "Product of Canada," "Made in Canada," and ingredient-specific claims, consumers can make choices that better reflect their values and provide meaningful support to Canada's food system.

The Gold Standard: "Product of Canada"

Many consumers assume that a product made in Canada is automatically a Canadian product. That's not necessarily true. A food can only carry a "Product of Canada" claim when all or virtually all of the significant ingredients, as well as the processing and labour, are Canadian. In practice, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) guidance interprets this to mean that non-Canadian content is negligible—generally less than 2% of the product. If you're trying to maximize your support for Canadian farmers and food processors and their staff, this is the label to look for first. Examples that might qualify include:

• Canadian honey produced and packaged in Canada. Fresh fruits and vegetables grown in Canada.

• Cheddar cheese made from Canadian milk and produced in Canada, where any non-Canadian inputs are limited to negligible ingredients such as bacterial cultures or enzymes used in very small amounts.

• Canned vegetables grown, processed, and packaged in Canada.

A product carrying a "Product of Canada" claim has a very strong connection to Canadian agriculture and food production. It is worth noting that packaging does not count in the Product of Canada designation. The ingredients need to be all Canadian but there are no requirements for the packaging.

What About "Made in Canada?"

A "Made in Canada" claim means something different. The key requirement is that the last substantial transformation occurred in Canada. In other words, the product was significantly processed here, even if some or many of the ingredients came from elsewhere. CFIA guidance requires qualifying statements such as "Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients" or "Made in Canada from imported ingredients." For example:

• Bread baked in Canada using imported ingredients.

• Orange juice blended and bottled in Canada from imported concentrate.

• Prepared meals assembled and processed in Canadian facilities.

These products support Canadian food manufacturing jobs and investment, but they may contain significant amounts of imported ingredients. That doesn't make them less valuable. It simply means they support a different part of the food system. There is no minimum Canadian content requirement, just that a substantial transformation occurred here in Canada.

How to Interpret a "100% Canadian" Claim

Some products go beyond the CFIA's standard claims and use wording such as "100% Canadian." This is a very strong statement. A reasonable interpretation is that the product, including its ingredients, processing, and labour, is entirely Canadian. While a "Product of Canada" claim allows for a negligible amount of non-Canadian content, a "100% Canadian" claim leaves virtually no room for imported ingredients.

For many fresh products, this may be achievable. For complex processed foods, it can be surprisingly difficult. Consider all the ingredients commonly found in processed foods that Canada does not produce in meaningful quantities: coffee, cocoa, many spices, some flavourings, and cane sugar. Even small amounts can complicate a "100% Canadian" claim.

What about other claims?

Beyond the well-known "Product of Canada" and "Made in Canada" labels, CFIA guidelines also permit a set of narrower, activity-specific claims for foods that don't meet the stricter thresholds — "Processed in Canada," "Prepared in Canada," "Packaged in Canada," and commodity-specific variants like "Roasted in Canada" or "Distilled in Canada." Unlike "Product of Canada," which requires that all or virtually all ingredients be domestic, these claims describe a single step rather than the whole product's origin. It's worth watching how this plays out on shelves

CFIA has flagged a rise in complaints about origin claims on bulk produce specifically, and has recently tightened guidance on maple leaf imagery, requiring a nearby domestic content statement whenever the symbol is used, precisely to prevent "maple-washing" of products that have merely passed through Canadian hands rather than been made here.

What These Labels Don't Tell You

While origin claims can help consumers identify products with Canadian ingredients, labour, and processing, they do not provide a complete picture of where the economic benefits ultimately flow. For example, a product may qualify as a "Product of Canada" because it uses Canadian ingredients and is manufactured in Canada, but the company that owns the brand could be headquartered in another country. In that case, some of the profits may ultimately accrue to foreign shareholders even though Canadian farmers, processors, and workers were involved in producing the product. Frito Lay is owned by PepsiCo but produces potato chips in Ontario with Ontario potatoes in Cambridge, Ontario. These would be labelled Product of Canada. Conversely, a Canadian-owned company may manufacture some products using imported ingredients while still generating economic activity, employment, and investment in Canada.

The labels also do not tell consumers anything about the ownership structure of the retailer. Purchasing a Product of Canada item at a Canadian-owned grocery chain and purchasing the same item at a foreign-owned retailer provide support to Canadian agriculture and food manufacturing, but the retail margins may flow to different organizations. The CFIA rules were designed to provide information about the origin of a product, not the ownership of the companies involved in producing, distributing, or selling it. Is it better to by an imported product at a Canadian store or a Canadian product at a foreign owned store?

Nor do these claims measure how much value was created in Canada. A food that qualifies as a Product of Canada may generate relatively little economic activity beyond primary production, while a Made in Canada product containing imported ingredients may support substantial Canadian manufacturing, transportation, packaging, marketing, and distribution activities. Consumers who want to maximize their support for Canadian jobs may therefore arrive at different purchasing decisions than consumers whose primary goal is supporting Canadian farmers.

Labels That Look Canadian—but May Not Mean the Product Is Canadian

One of the challenges consumers face is that many labels and symbols found on food packaging can create the impression that a product is Canadian even when they are not. In many cases, these labels provide important information, but not necessarily information about where the food was grown, raised, or produced.

A good example is the use of Canadian grade standards. Consumers often see labels such as Canada No. 1 potatoes and assume the designation indicates that the product was produced in Canada. Grading systems are intended to describe quality characteristics such as size, appearance, maturity, or yield. A Canadian grade can sometimes appear on imported products that have been graded according to Canadian standards. The grade tells you something about quality, but not necessarily about origin.

Organic certification can cause similar confusion. The Canada Organic logo is well recognized by shoppers and often evokes images of local farms and Canadian production. However, the logo certifies that a product meets Canada's organic production standards. It does not necessarily mean the product was grown or raised in Canada. Imported products that meet Canadian organic standards may also carry the Canada Organic logo. As a result, a product can be certified organic under Canadian regulations while still originating from another country.

Consumers should also be aware of the federal inspection legend that appears on meat products. The symbol includes a maple leaf and the words "Canada" and is used to identify products that were prepared in a federally registered establishment and inspected under federal regulations. Because it contains a maple leaf and the word Canada, many shoppers understandably interpret it as an origin claim. In fact, the symbol indicates regulatory oversight and inspection, not where the product was produced. Imported meat products that undergo processing in federally registered facilities may carry the inspection legend even if the animal was raised outside Canada. It may be nothing more than packaging in Canada.

Even the use of a maple leaf by itself can sometimes create confusion. The CFIA has recently reminded industry that maple leaves on packaging, shelf tags, and online advertising should be accompanied by an appropriate origin or content claim when there is a risk consumers could be misled. A maple leaf may signal a connection to Canada, but it is not, on its own, a defined origin claim such as "Product of Canada" or "Made in Canada." Consumers seeking certainty about origin should look beyond the symbol and read the accompanying wording.

A Practical Guide

In the end, how you choose depends on personal preference. Some shoppers want to support Canadian farmers. Others want to support Canadian manufacturing jobs. Others simply want to reduce reliance on imports. You must decide what is important to you and how you prioritize individual attributes.

No single label perfectly captures all those objectives. Understanding the differences allows you to align your purchases with your priorities. In some cases, it will require research as there is not credible label that will allow you to understand all the attributes of a product. If it matters to you, you can do research. Call the company. Look things up online.

It is also important to note that there will be some products that meet your criteria but are not labeled as such. This can happen for a variety of reasons. I found a bag for frozen mixed vegetables that had a grade on the front saying they were “Canada A” but no Product of Canada designation. I called them to ask, and they said that the content is almost always Product of Canada but in some years, they run short at the end of the year and use some non-Canadian product. They choose not change packaging when the inputs change so there is a product that meets the standard most of the time but is not labelled.

If your goal is to support Canada, here is a simple hierarchy.

1. Look for "Product of Canada"

This is the strongest widely used claim and indicates that virtually all significant ingredients and production activities are Canadian. You may miss some products, but this tells you specifically and clearly that it always meets the standard. Remember, this does not mean that it is produced by a Canadian company. To determine that you have to do your own research.

2. Consider "Made in Canada"

These products may rely on imported ingredients, but they support Canadian manufacturing, food processing, transportation, and employment. If there is not a Product of Canada choice, this one can be effective. Products like reconstituted orange juice can never be Product of Canada as we don’t produce oranges in Canada.

3. Read Ingredient-Specific Claims

A product may highlight a particular Canadian ingredient, such as:

• Made with 100% Canadian wheat

• Contains Canadian blueberries

• Made with Canadian milk – in fact, the Canadian dairy industry has the blue cow logo which highlights products made with Canadian milk.

These claims can help consumers support Canadian agriculture even when the entire product doesn't qualify as a Product of Canada.

Don't Let Perfect Be the Enemy of Good

There is a tendency to think that only products meeting the highest Canadian content standard are worth buying. That would be a mistake. Canada is part of a global food system. Many foods we enjoy every day rely on ingredients that cannot be grown here or are only available seasonally. A loaf of bread baked in Canada or a soup processed in Canada still supports Canadian workers, businesses, and communities even if some ingredients originate elsewhere. The most important takeaway is that not all Canadian claims mean the same thing. By understanding the distinction between "Product of Canada," "Made in Canada," and ingredient-specific claims, consumers can make choices that better reflect their values and provide meaningful support to Canada's food system.

Recommended citation format: von Massow, M, "Why Is It So Hard to Buy Canadian?" Food Focus Guelph (146) , Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Guelph, July 3, 2026.

Keywords: Buy Canadian, food, origin, labelling, agriculture, food processing