“Made in Canada” labels possibly mislead shoppers in grocery stores
A leading Canadian food researcher is raising alarm over misleading “Made in Canada” labels appearing on products that don’t and can’t grow in Canada.
A leading Canadian food researcher is raising alarm over misleading “Made in Canada” labels appearing on products that don’t and can’t grow in Canada.
In a post to X on May 20, Dr. Sylvain Charlebois of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University shared photos taken at a Sobeys store showing Navel oranges and California natural walnuts marked with prominent “Made in Canada” labels.
“Canada doesn’t grow Navel oranges and certainly not California natural walnuts. Yet here we are,” Charlebois wrote. “Many readers have sent me similar photos lately. The ‘maplewashing’ continues a clear misrepresentation of origin that misleads consumers.”
Charlebois followed up with another post on May 21, showing photos taken at an Atlantic Canada Superstore, where Navel oranges were labelled “From Canada” with a maple leaf icon and priced at $8 for a three-pound bag.
After a customer alerted management to the issue, the maple leaf label was removed, and the price dropped by 12.5 per cent.
“Another classic move from our grocers,” Charlebois wrote.
The issue highlights a growing trend in Canadian grocery stores raising prices while leaning on patriotic branding to encourage buying locally amid heightened trade tensions with the United States.
Since the introduction of new U.S. tariffs under President Donald Trump and a shift toward protectionist rhetoric under Prime Minister Mark Carney, “Made in Canada” stickers have become a common sight, even on items with no Canadian agricultural connection.
Navel oranges, for instance, are almost exclusively grown in California, Florida and other subtropical climates. Canada’s climate is far too cold for citrus farming.
Similarly, the majority of commercial walnuts sold in North America are grown in California’s Central Valley.
While Canada does have a small quantity of black walnut trees in both Ontario and Quebec, they are not commercially significant or sold in grocery stores.
Under federal labelling rules, “Made in Canada” refers to products that are substantially transformed in Canada and for which at least 51 per cent of direct production costs are domestic.
This can include packaging, roasting, slicing, or processing, but does not require that the agricultural ingredients originate in Canada.
If the elbows up gang fell for the snake Carney in the election, they'll fall for this too.
It’s ironic that so many of the made in Canada labels are on milk, cheese and other cartel controlled products that are protected from U.S. competition with tariffs up to 179%.