Randy Thompson of Gravenhurst, Ont., stopped at a Costco in Orillia this week to pick up some Canadian beef.
“I purchased the beef short ribs, which is one of our favourites. On the front of the label it says, ‘Kirkland brand cut triple AAA Canada beef,’” said Thompson.
However, when he got home, he noticed another label on the back of the package that said something different.
“It says ‘Cut from USDA Choice beef’ and ‘Product of USA, processed in Canada,’ which is completely different,” said Thompson.
He then returned to Costco to try and get answers but didn’t get an explanation.
“I was a bit miffed. It was either mislabelled or, at the very least, it’s confusing,” said Thompson.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) told CTV News that it cannot comment on the specific situation, but “all information on food labels and advertisements, regardless of whether it is mandatory or voluntary, must be accurate, truthful, and not misleading.”
The CFIA said it wants Canadians to report products that they think are labelled in a misleading manner through its food complaint or concern web page.
“Canadians can learn more about how to identify Canadian food with our quick reference guide about the different words or symbols they may find while grocery shopping—some mean the food has Canadian content, while others mean it meets a Canadian standard for quality or organic content,” the CFIA said.
“For example, claims such as “Canadian Beef” tell you about the origin of the product. Whereas food grades such as “CANADA AAA” on beef establish product quality requirements (for example, maturity, colour, and marbling).”
CTV News reached out to Costco and did not get a response.
However, when we went to a Scarbrough Costco location, we found the same beef short rib product for sale, and it appeared to be labelled correctly.
CTV News found beef short ribs that had the Canadian beef sticker on the front, and it was indeed from Canada.
We also found short ribs that did not have the Canadian beef sticker, and they were a product of the USA.
But it could be confusing for consumers as both packages are being sold side by side.
With Thompson’s purchase, it may have been a case of an accidental labelling error where staff mistakenly put the Canadian sticker on an American product.
Sylvain Charlebois, professor and food researcher with Dalhousie University, said, “There is clearly an effort to showcase Canadian products, including at the meat counter.”
Charlebois said at a time of trade tensions consumers want it to be clear exactly where their groceries come from.
“I do think at some point we have to think differently about how we label products,” said Charlebois.
As for Thompson, he said whether it was a mistake or not, he plans to continue to watch labels closely so he can buy Canadian.
“We’ve got to stand up for ourselves and our country and stick together,” said Thompson.
