Made in Canada Labels
What’s in a label?
The Canadian Food Labelling Initiative, unveiled in 2008 by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, was designed to improve the definition of labels that claimed to be Canadian products and new regulations now under the umbrella of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency came into effect on Jan. 1, 2009. Previously, processors only had to show that 51% of costs were incurred in Canada and the last substantial transformation of the product occurred in this country to use the 'Made in' and 'Product of' labels. Ingredients could come from anywhere.
What does Made in Canada mean?
For a product to be labeled ‘Made in Canada’, the last substantial transformation must occur in Canada, meaning food must undergo some form of processing which changes it into a new product. A substantial transformation occurs when a food product undergoes processing which changes its nature and becomes a new product bearing a new name commonly understood by the consumer. For example, the processing of cheese, dough, sauce, and other ingredients to create a pizza would be considered a substantial transformation and receive the designation of Made in Canada.
What does Product of Canada mean?
A food product may use the claim ‘Product of Canada’ when all or virtually all major ingredients, processing, and labour used to make the food product are Canadian. This means that all the significant ingredients in a food product are Canadian in origin and that non-Canadian material is negligible. For example, a cookie that is manufactured in Canada from oatmeal, enriched flour, butter, honey, and milk from Canada, and imported vanilla, may use the claim ‘Product of Canada’ even if the vitamins in the flour and the vanilla are not from Canada.
Are there any other labels?
The use of ‘Product of Canada’ and the qualified ‘Made in Canada’ claims are encouraged to ensure clarity for the consumer and to enhance their ability to identify Canadian made foods. However, other more specific statements or claims that describe the Canadian value added may be used without further qualification, provided they are truthful and not misleading for consumers.
Examples of these types of domestic claims include:
‘Roasted and blended in Canada’ to describe coffee since the coffee beans are always imported;
‘Distilled in Canada’ to describe bottled water that was distilled in Canada;
‘Canned in Canada’ to describe green beans that were canned in Canada;
‘Refined in Canada’ to describe imported cane sugar which has been refined in Canada;
‘Processed in Canada’ to describe a food which has been entirely processed in Canada;
‘Prepared in Canada’ to describe a food which has been entirely prepared in Canada;
‘Packaged in Canada’ to describe a food which is imported in bulk and packaged in Canada.
