The article discusses the rise of "maple-washing," where companies mislead consumers by exaggerating their products' Canadian connections to capitalize on the "Buy Canadian" movement. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has seen a significant increase in complaints about inaccurate country-of-origin labeling, with several companies found non-compliant.
Walmart Canada temporarily removed "Made in Canada" labels from its website and app due to inaccurate labeling, highlighting the challenges companies face in accurately representing their products' origins.
Consumers are increasingly scrutinizing labels, often relying on symbols like maple leaves without verifying the claims. Content creators like Cassandra Juradinho highlight instances of misleading labeling, emphasizing the need for transparency.
While some argue that brands make mistakes amidst the increased consumer demand, others emphasize the importance of clear and accurate labeling, focusing on genuine Canadian operations and economic contributions. The article concludes that consumer action, through purchasing decisions and vocalizing concerns, drives impactful changes in the market.
While some labeling practices might be misleading, they aren't necessarily illegal, as existing regulations primarily focus on food safety and traceability, rather than explicitly addressing national origin claims. Therefore, consumer advocacy plays a crucial role in pushing for accurate and transparent labeling.
Shoppers across the country are scrutinizing labels in search of Canadian products amid U.S. trade tensions, and as businesses scramble to tap into the Buy Canadian boom, some are being accused of “maple-washing” – misleading consumers by overstating their products’ ties to Canada.
It seems some of the concerns are justified.
As of March 18, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has found six companies to be non-compliant with country-of-origin labelling rules on food labels and ads, following a more than eight-fold spike in complaints over the past three months.
Pamela MacDonald, executive director of inspection support for the agency, said in an e-mailed statement that “the implicated companies took corrective actions to address the cause of the error.” She said CFIA inspectors follow up to verify that any required correction has been made.
Ms. MacDonald added that if adjustments by the companies aren’t made, further enforcement action may be taken. According to the CFIA’s website, this action can include administrative monetary penalties or even recommending prosecution.
The agency received a total of 60 complaints between Nov. 1, 2024, and March 20, with 57 of them coming in the past three months alone. Of the 19 investigated, 13 were found compliant and the others non-compliant.
The flood of maple leaf signs and Canadian flags across grocery aisles meant to make it easier for shoppers to identify Canadian products have often made things even more confusing.
Walmart Canada recently removed “Made in Canada” badging from its website and app after discovering some items were incorrectly labelled. The move may have left some consumers puzzled because the product descriptions still suggested Canadian origins.
The retailer has since restored made-in-Canada labelling on its website. Walmart Canada did not answer a question as to whether they were one of the companies approached by the CFIA.
In an e-mail, Walmart spokesperson Sarah Kennedy said the removal was “out of an abundance of caution,” and said the labels would be back in stores soon. But the incident underscores the challenges companies face when using Canadian branding as a marketing tool.
“It was almost easier before the Buy Canadian movement really began,” said Toronto-based content creator Cassandra Juradinho. “There was no ulterior benefit.”
Ms. Juradinho racked up thousands of likes on her recent TikTok video showing what looked like a box of crackers, among other products, proudly boasting a maple leaf on the packaging and the shelf where the product was located.
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“They were in fact, not owned by a Canadian company, not made with Canadian ingredients … they were baked in Canada,” she said in an interview with The Globe. “You’re just trying to make a fringe tie to the Canadian marketplace.”
The Maple Leaf stickers or “Buy Canadian” sections gave consumers a false sense of comfort, she said. Shoppers instinctively gravitate to these symbols without fact-checking, trusting that the brand or retailer had done the work for them, Ms. Juradinho said.
Food brands that most effectively leverage the “Buy Canadian” movement and earn consumers’ trust long-term aren’t just sticking a maple leaf on their products, according to Meaghan Beech, consumer practice lead and vice-president at NATIONAL Public Relations. They “emphasize how their operations support Canadian industry and fuel the local economy,” she said.
It’s not just misleading labels that can erode trust – vague claims can also be damaging.
Peter Chapman, founder of consulting firm SKUFood and a former Loblaw executive, recalled recently seeing a can of soup labelled as “Designed in Canada.”
“I don’t know what that means for a can of soup,” he said. In a discussion thread titled “What treachery is this from Campbell’s,” hundreds of people on the BuyCanadian subreddit had the same question about their soup can.
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Rather than intentionally deceiving consumers, some say brands are simply making mistakes as they scramble to meet consumers’ unprecedented interest in product origins.
“We see no evidence that suppliers are trying to mislead consumers in any shape or form,” said Gary Sands, vice-president of government relations at Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.
“A lot of these regulatory pieces were put in place more because of food safety and product traceability rather than because it was important whether it was made in this country or that country,” Mr. Chapman said.
“The practice of ‘designed in Canada’ or other messages about Canada are more a risky marketing tactic,” he said, but legally-speaking, the brands aren’t doing anything wrong.
In the absence of regulatory action, consumers can make a difference fairly quickly with their dollars, and by speaking out.
“In my conversations with some of the retailers and producers, they’ve made some drastic changes to their sourcing very quickly,” said Mr. Chapman, referring to brands’ response to consumers looking for truly Canadian products. “Retailers are responding to what consumers want.”
After speaking to a store manager and posting a video of months mislabelled crackers at FreshCo on social media, Ms. Juradinho said someone from the store’s management team responded to the video promising to look into her concern. “That was heartening to see,” she said.
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