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Shopping for Canadian food

Shopping for Canadian Food

As a consumer, you may want to know when you're buying food that has been grown in Canada or made in Canada. That's why the food labels "Product of Canada" and "Made in Canada" are so important.

The Government of Canada brought in new food labelling guidelines on December 31, 2008, that clearly tell you what foods have been grown or raised by Canadian farmers and what foods were prepared here by Canadian workers.

What do the words "Product of Canada" and "Made in Canada" tell you about the food you buy for your family?

Product of Canada

A "Product of Canada" label means that all, or nearly all, of the food, processing and labour used to make the food is Canadian. These foods were

  • grown or raised by Canadian farmers, and
  • prepared and packaged by Canadian food companies.

A food can still be labelled "Product of Canada" if it contains small amounts of imported food, such as spices, food additives, vitamins, and flavorings.

Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients

Canadian farmers

The words "Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients" on a food label mean that

  • a Canadian company was involved in some of the preparation of the food, and
  • it contains some food grown by Canadian farmers, and some food that's been imported.

Made in Canada from imported ingredients

The words "Made in Canada from imported ingredients" on a food label means that

  • a Canadian company was involved in some of the preparation of the food; and
  • the contents of the food were imported.

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