Made in Canada Means?

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Is the “Made in Canada” tag reliable?

Does the consumer really know the source of the product?

Or where it was processed?

Under the Competition Bureau of Canada. Guide to “Made in Canada” Claims:

• Section 74.01(1) A person engages in reviewable conduct who, for the purposes of promoting, directly or indirectly, the supply or use of a product or for the purpose of promoting, directly or indirectly, any business interest, by any means whatever,*
  1. makes a representation to the public that is false or misleading in a material respect.

  The Consumer Packaging and Labeling Act has one provision of relevance to country of origin claims made by businesses.*

• Section 7(1) No dealer shall apply to any prepackaged product or sell, import into Canada or advertise any prepackaged product that has applied to it a label containing any false or misleading representation that relates to or may reasonably be regarded as relating to that product.*

Look at Kraft Foods products. Good products, popular and a well known brands. Kraft, Dad's, Jello, Planters, Cool Whip, Velveeta, to name a few. Nowhere on the packaging (in Canada) does it state where the product was made. Are Canadians assuming then that these are products of Canada? If so, then perhaps the labeling is misleading.

Then the big question; “Who makes ‘No Name Brand’?”

The answer, – Loblaws Companies Ltd., the largest grocery retailer in Canada and owns both the President’s Choice, Joe Fresh Style and No Name brands. With more than 1,100 stores in Canada operating under the names Loblaws, Zehrs, Real Canadian Superstore, Provigo, Maxi, SuperValu, Extra Foods, Shop Easy, Lucky Dollar, Independent, Cash & Carry, Dominion in Newfoundland, Valu-mart, Fortinos, No Frills, Atlantic Superstore and Atlantic SaveEasy. What Loblaws decides can determine what you are eating.

Hershey's does state on their products that they are imported, But, imported from where? Do the peanuts or glutens come from China? How are we to know?

In its analysis of a declaration claiming Canada to be the country of origin of goods incorporating foreign raw materials or components, the Bureau applies the following rules:

• the last substantial transformation of the goods must have occurred in Canada, and
• at least 51% of the total direct costs of producing or manufacturing the goods is Canadian."

[* /sites/default/files/mic/Del_Monte_Apple_Juice.jpg 150×190

Under these rules; a supplier could import concentrated apple juice, add 2/3 water and bottle the product and label it “Product of Canada”.

• The Bureau's view is that goods are substantially transformed where they undergo a fundamental change in form, appearance or nature such that the goods existing after the change are new and different goods from those existing before the change.

Under these rules; a supplier could import loose packed hardware items, ie: Hinges, Hasps, and screws, and package them 2 Hinges, 1 Hasp, and 24 screws to a pack and label them – Gate Hardware, “Product of Canada”. Does this constitute a fundamental change in form?

What if a supplier imported sheet particle board, some hardware items and then had the particle board cut to size, drilled in the appropriate places and packaged them along with instructions and labeled each “Assembly Ready Desk”, “Product of Canada”.

"Costs that would be taken into account by the Bureau are:

• expenditures on materials incurred by the producer/manufacturer in the production or manufacture of the goods;
  • expenditures on labour incurred by the producer/manufacturer, that relates to the production or manufacture of the goods and can reasonably be allocated to the production or manufacture of the goods; and
  • general overhead does not enter in the calculation however expenditures on overheads incurred by the producer/manufacturer that relate directly to the production or manufacture of the goods and can reasonably be allocated to the production or manufacture of the goods may be eligible."

Fundamental changes need to be made to the rules and regulations governing how products are labeled in Canada. My suggestions are:

• All products must be clearly labeled as to origin of content materials.
• All products must be clearly labeled as to country of production and/or manufacture.

“Product of Canada” or “Made in Canada” should mean what it says. The source of the materials is Canadian and the production or manufacture and even the container is “Canadian”.

Any item bearing a Canadian symbol, Canadian flag, Red Maple leaf, or Canadian beaver; Any product for the purposes of promoting, directly or indirectly, Canada, it's provinces or communities, or identify as Canadian by any means, must be totally “Made in Canada”.

Let's keep Canada, Canadian

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