Guidelines for Product of Canada and
Made in Canada Claims

Other Domestic Content Claims

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.

Guidance on other types of commonly used domestic content claims can be found below:

Claims Identifying a Canadian Food or Canadian Ingredients

The claim "Canadian" is considered to be the same as a "Product of Canada" claim. As such, all or virtually all major ingredients, processing, and labour used to make the food product must be Canadian. For example, the claim "Canadian" on a container of frozen lasagna would mean that the food meets the "Product of Canada" criteria.

This criteria also applies when the claim is used to describe an ingredient within the food. For example, if the claim "Canadian cheddar cheese" is used on a package of cheddar cheese sauce, all or virtually all major ingredients, processing, and labour used to make the cheddar cheese in the sauce must be Canadian.

When this type of claim is used to describe a single component ingredient within the food, all of the ingredient(s) and, if any, derivatives of that ingredient in the food, must be Canadian. For example, if the claim "Contains Canadian blueberries" is used on a prepackaged blueberry pie, all of the blueberries, as well as any blueberry juice concentrate or derivative, must be Canadian.

"100% Canadian" Claims on Foods or Ingredients

When the claim "100% Canadian" is used on a label, the food or ingredient to which the claim applies must be entirely Canadian rather than "all or virtually all" Canadian.

For example, if the claim "100% Canadian" was used on a pot pie, all of the ingredients, processing, and labour used to make that product must be Canadian.

This would be the same case for a food with a claim which refers to the origin of a particular ingredient, whether single or multi-component, as being "100% Canadian".

For example, if the claim "Made with 100% Canadian Wheat" is used on a bag of dry pasta, all of the wheat, and its derivatives, used in that product must be Canadian.

Additional guidance on the use of the claim "100% Canadian Milk" can be found in the Guidelines for the Acceptable Use of "100% Canadian Milk" Claims on Dairy Products.

Multiple Country of Origin Claims That Reference Canada

The use of a voluntary multiple country of origin statement that references Canada (e.g., "Product of Canada and United States") would not be acceptable. Products that contain foreign ingredients, regardless of their source, are not eligible to bear a "Product of Canada" claim.

Declaring multiple countries of origin on the label could result in false information and, as such, could be considered false and misleading.

Although products that contain foreign ingredients are not eligible to bear a Product of Canada claim, they may be eligible to make a qualified Made in Canada claim, provided that the last substantial transformation of the product occurred in Canada.

A blended claim, such as "A blend of Canadian (naming the product) and [Naming the country] (naming the product)", may be considered acceptable (e.g., "A blend of Canadian and American soybean oil").

Separate requirements may exist for commodities that require a country of origin statement. Please see the Commodity Specific Labelling and Advertising webpage and select the appropriate commodity.

Next Page: Commodity Specific Information  | Previous: "Made in Canada" Claims