This was a display at a local Foodbasics. Andy brand lettuce… product of the USA, and the shelves were empty, so people were buying it.
And why not? Because they see the “shop local, support local” with a maple leaf, and assume that the store has made it easier for them to shop Canadian.
ALWAYS check labels for a country of origin. PRODUCT of the USA is by far the one you need to avoid “at all cost” with MADE in the USA second.
Even American items on sale are not worth buying, because every dollar you send to the States, is a dollar they will use to kill Canada with.
If this were in Germany, I would call consumer protection and tell them. You guys probably have something similar. It’s probably something that is “technically legal” because the logo they use is not protected (happens all the time in Germany) but it’s definitely misleading and can lead to a fine.
I think it falls under Canada’s Competition Act. https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/deceptive-marketing-practices/types-deceptive-marketing-practices/false-or-misleading-representations-and-deceptive-marketing-practices
I was just on the website… long form complaint submission, so that’s already a barrier unless you’ve got all day to do up complaints. I will try to report this one, though.
Yes, I think I’m going to explore that option.
I don’t care if these stores want to use their own labelling for marketing Canadian brands, but they should be required to be very clear why they are giving a product a maple leaf sticker.
Also consider the safety testing of American food products is a huge unknown after Musk. Beware and avoid.
They still need to meet Canadian standards
Scam Basics
Even American items on sale are not worth buying, because every dollar you send to the States, is a dollar they will use to kill Canada with.
Yup … our attempts are never going to be perfect but I’m going to try.
What bothers me is that US companies which “employ” and “source” from Canada … get to say “Canadian”. Yes, it does fit the title but like I’d like one that’s Canadian owned.
What bothers me is that US companies which “employ” and “source” from Canada … get to say “Canadian”. Yes, it does fit the title but like I’d like one that’s Canadian owned.
I’ve seen examples of Canadian companies promoting their Canadian-ness, yet their actual product is from the States. Dainty brown rice, is an example.
On the other hand, you have American companies who are sourcing ingredients and making the stuff here in Canada.
The latter would have more “bang for your buck” when it comes to supporting the Canadian economy, because those companies are supporting Canadian farmers and workers (and everyone in-between) for the final product.
But still, I tend to check where the company is from and where the product is made/sourced.
Yupik (nuts, seeds, dried fruit company out of Quebec) is an example of a Canadian company that sells foodstuff from all over the place. But they list the country of origin for everything, so while their regular peanuts are from the States (I’ll avoid those, thank you very much!), they have other varieties from elsewhere 😀
The excuse is that they rotate products to what’s on sale but not the buy local sign. And on an offhand note I also notice there are a lot of deals on American products since demand is plummeting and retailers are a bit desparate to clear their shelves of them.
But still, that is misleading marketing to put the buy local symbol next to a product that is not local. Each province has a consumer protection office, probably take it up with them.
I’m finding maple leaf stickers on all kinds of products that are always in the same spot, so this issue extends to more than just the bins.
There’s no consistency, either. One item might have the maple leaf because it’s a product of Canada, while another might not have any country of origin and only say that it’s imported by the brand (with a Canadian office), and others will list a country of origin that is NOT Canada, but still have the maple leaf.
It’s frustrating if you just want a quick assurance that you are supporting Canadians, but can’t trust how the store tags them. I was searching for popcorn kernels when this all started, and the store had a maple leaf, but no country of origin. I spoke with staff, who said that it was a product of Canada. I called their head office to confirm, and they said the kernels were from the States. Pissed me off, but I learned my lesson.
Yes to sales on US products bc of low sales.
I recently made a purchase online with a local farmers market. Bought a couple discount bags. They are meant to have items close to expiration, but both had one product of USA with an exp date decently far ahead. They’re unwanted products so they’re practically giving them away to clear stock.
You just just pull the Canada sign down and take it to customer service to let them know.
I’ve done this before i boycotted NoFrills. I’d remove the maple leaf (typically from a store brand product CLEARLY shipped in from the US) and put it next to the price tag for a Canadian product, then flipped the American products upside down.
That’s a generic sign promoting the idea of shopping local - not stating it’s affixed to something that is. Those signs are everywhere in the store and it clearly says product of USA below.
It’s not really the best place to put it, but there’s nothing wrong with it.
This was just an example, because the bin was cleared out. Before the use of those signs, this same bin with American products would be untouched, as would the other produce shelves with American goods on them.
I do think this sign is misleading, but not as bad as the maple leafs on the shelves, where the products are made elsewhere.
and it clearly says product of USA below.
Last week, the same style of sign said “Product of [someplace]” but the food label was of a different origin. Always check the label, that’s my point.
Might be worth complaining to store management or above their head.
Often when i find stuff on shelves with inaccurate marketing, I flip over the products to signal “this is from the US”
I’ve contacted the head office regarding another item from a different store, but I honestly have no idea how effective this is. I think there’s more power when consumers know enough to avoid buying those specific items. At some point the store will say “yeah, we should stop carrying this because nobody is buying it”.
Yes. Not only check the label, but use ocanada or a similar app.
But it seems intentionally deceiving…
“Canada washing”
And don’t forget regular washing. Trump/Musk have gutted government oversight for health and sanitation so there’s an even higher chance it’ll have E Coli or Salmonella.
Sharpie. “not made in Canada”.
Maybe a sticker that says Harper left over from the Stop Harper signs. I dunno, I just spitballin
Or the Trump stickers pointing and saying “I did that”
Uhg, I guess I need to add permanent markers to my bag when I go to the grocery store now…
