Guidelines for Product of Canada and
Made in Canada Claims

"Made in Canada" Claims with a Qualifying Statement

A "Made in Canada" claim with a qualifying statement can be used on a food product when the last substantial transformation of the product occurred in Canada, even if some ingredients are from other countries.

Substantial Transformation

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.

Processes which result in a substantial transformation may be outlined in more specific legislation, such as the Meat Inspection Regulations and Processed Products Regulations.

Qualifying Statement

If the "Made in Canada" claim is used, it must also include a qualifying statement to indicate that the food product is made in Canada from imported ingredients or a combination of imported and domestic ingredients. The qualifying statements that can be used include "Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients" or "Made in Canada from imported ingredients".

All variations of "Made in Canada" claims must include a qualifying statement.

For example, a claim such as "Proudly Made in Canada" would need a qualifying statement if the product contains imported ingredients as this claim includes the phrase "Made in Canada".

Made in Canada from imported ingredients

When a food is made with ingredients that are all sourced from outside of Canada, the label would state "Made in Canada from imported ingredients".

For example, a cookie manufactured in Canada from imported flour, oatmeal, shortening and sugar may be labelled or advertised with the claim "Made in Canada from imported ingredients".

Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients

When a food contains both domestic and imported ingredients, the label would state "Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients". This claim may be used on a product that contains a mixture of imported and domestic ingredients, regardless of the level of Canadian content in the product.

For example, a cookie manufactured in Canada using Canadian flour, oatmeal and shortening and imported sugar may be labelled or advertised with the claim "Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients".

To provide clarity and consistency for consumers, when a company chooses to use the "Made in Canada" claim, the qualifying statement should be presented in a standard format: "from domestic and imported ingredients". However, it would be considered acceptable if the order were reversed, if there were a higher proportion of imported ingredients than domestic ingredients.

The claim "Made in Canada from domestic and/or imported ingredients" is not permitted as it does not provide meaningful information to the consumer about the Canadian content.

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