When it comes to shopping at the grocery store, many Canadians concerned about the current trade war with the United States are taking extra time to check labels to make sure the goods they’re buying are from Canada.
Joanne Irvine from Milton, Ont., said she always tries to buy Canadian products and check labels closely. She was recently buying groceries in Walmart when she saw blackberries for sale.
“I saw blackberries for sale at $3.84. I thought, ‘Not a bad price and a product of Canada.’ That’s great,” said Irvine.
But Irvine discovered that while the shelf tag said “Product of Canada,” it clearly states on the blackberry packaging, “Product of USA.”
Upset, she complained to Walmart’s produce manager.
“I said you can’t have that on the sign. It’s deceitful. It’s not the truth,” said Irvine.
Maple washing
Some labelling errors may be an honest mistake, but they could also be cases of “maple washing,” which is when grocery stores mislead consumers with signs and images that make it look like a product is Canadian when it isn’t.
The Consumers Council of Canada (CCC) has been getting complaints about maple washing from consumers and says Canadian shoppers shouldn’t have to do an investigation to know where the products they are buying are coming from.
“Canadian consumers believe they have a right to be informed about what they are buying,” said Ashish Sharma with the CCC.
CTV News has done other stories where green beans have been marked as a product of Canada, but on the bag, it says from Guatemala. There have also been red onions sold as a product of Canada when on the bag it said it’s a product of Egypt.
“Canadians should not have to research where their food comes from. It’s up to the stores to correctly label the food and its sources,” said Sharma.
Walmart responds
In the case of the blackberries, Walmart told CTV News, “We know Canadian products matter to our customers, and we’re proud to offer domestically made and grown products in store. We strive to ensure any country-of-origin details are accurate. When we become aware of errors, we work quickly to correct them.”
“Customers can find the most up-to-date information about products, including country of origin, directly on the packaging.”
As for Irvine, she plans to keep an even closer eye on labels moving forward.
“I just thought it’s not right,” said Irvine. “And how many other products are they doing this to?”
If you have a complaint about product labelling, you can contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. They may ask you to submit photos, receipts, and other information and may then reach out to you to investigate your case.
