- 2 days ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:07We're all being told to buy Canadian.
00:10We'll buy Canadian, we'll build Canadian.
00:13And together, we will build Canada Strong.
00:17But can you trust what those labels are telling you?
00:21It is not a Canadian product.
00:23We investigate products that play up Canadian pride.
00:26And then you flip it over. Well, that's a little bit deceiving.
00:30And reveal where they're really from.
00:32We gain false information. I feel a little bit cheated.
00:35This is your Marketplace.
00:43We're at the grocery store on a mission to buy Canadian.
00:47For many, that means made here with Canadian ingredients.
00:51Probably a Canadian company since 1957.
00:53But here's the thing.
00:56Despite maple leaves everywhere, you're telling us it's not that simple.
01:01To know what's Canadian and what's not.
01:05Probably Canadian on the front.
01:07So we're putting some products to the test.
01:11Buying enough stuff to fill a backpack.
01:14And hitting the road.
01:17There's been a renewed push to buy Canadian.
01:20With our economy under threat from abroad, Canadians have made a choice.
01:25To focus on what we can control.
01:28Where you have a choice, please choose to buy Canadian.
01:32So please, when you go shopping, buy Canadian as much as you can.
01:37We hear that message loud and clear.
01:40But how easy is it?
01:42Our first stop, Brassard, Quebec.
01:46Hey, Bob.
01:47How are you?
01:48Good, thanks.
01:49Marketplace viewer, Bob Bastien, is peeved by this pea soup.
01:54Well, I've always considered Habitat pea soup, French-Canadian.
01:58And I noticed that it's not really Canadian.
02:02The label on there says that it's designed in Canada.
02:07But it's a product of the USA.
02:09Say what?
02:10Soup made with quality peas from Canadian farms is a product of the US?
02:18Designed in Canada?
02:19What does that mean?
02:20You tell me.
02:21I have no clue as to what that means.
02:23It seems as though Campbell is trying to sell us a lie.
02:29The US has launched a trade war against us.
02:32And I think it's the least we can do to try to avoid to buy American products.
02:40And Bob's not alone.
02:42Our next stop, St. Catharines, Ontario, to meet Dave Lawson.
02:50The Americans are my friends, right?
02:52The people in the US are not the issue.
02:54It's what's happening at the administration level.
02:56So we need to respond to it.
02:59And that looks like what to you?
03:01That means buying Canadians.
03:02Dave says the label on this Betty Crocker cookie mix bugs him.
03:07Canada's number one brand.
03:09So that gives you a sense of reassurance that, oh, this should be Canadian, right?
03:13But when you look at the back, it's a product of the US.
03:19This is advertising, trying to make it look Canadian, when in reality it's not.
03:26To peel back these labels, we're taking our groceries to the University of Guelph.
03:31To meet food economics professor Mike Von Masso.
03:35Hey, Mike.
03:35How difficult is it to figure out this is a Canadian product?
03:38Well, it's often difficult to do it while you're standing at the shelf.
03:41So what does he think of this pea soup?
03:44I'd say they're trying to create a Canadian halo.
03:49And the cookie mix?
03:50To me, you're much more likely to be mistaken thinking this is a Canadian product than turn it over and
03:56say product of the USA.
03:58How would you categorize something like this?
04:00At the very least, confusing, but I would argue misleading as well.
04:04He says there's a word for this kind of marketing.
04:07Well, we've heard people talk about maple washing.
04:09So they'll do things that imply more Canadian-ness than is actually accurate.
04:15Is that what we're seeing here?
04:16I think we are seeing some maple washing.
04:18Whether intentional or not, we are definitely seeing some.
04:22We reach out to Betty Crocker's parent company, General Mills.
04:26They tell us highlighting Canada's number one selling baking mix brand on the package is not new.
04:33And reflects the pride they have in being in kitchens across Canada.
04:37As for Abitant Soup, parent company Campbell's says designed in Canada has been on the label since it closed its
04:45Toronto soup plant in 2018.
04:46They say it tells shoppers the product was created by their Canadian team, adding it's a label they're phasing out.
04:55Next up, a brand that's just so Canadian, eh?
04:59McCain isn't just a company in Canada.
05:02We're a Canadian company.
05:04McCain, proudly Canadian.
05:06How about their super spirals fries?
05:09When I see the name McCain, it screams Canada to me, right?
05:13We know this is a successful Canadian food company.
05:16Then I look here, it says proud Canadian company since 1957.
05:21So that reinforces what I was thinking.
05:23Individually, I know we produce a lot of potatoes in this country.
05:26So my inference here would be that this is a Canadian product.
05:31Until you flip the bag over.
05:33There's a lot of smaller font going on here.
05:37Oh, here we go.
05:39Product of USA.
05:40There it is.
05:41My guess is that this, the technology to make these curly fries is not available on a Canadian plant.
05:48And that's fair enough.
05:50But it's difficult to see that it's a product of the US.
05:53And to me, this one is confusing, for sure.
05:56Because I would have expected it to be Canadian just as soon as I saw that.
06:02Reinforced by that.
06:04McCain confirms the machinery needed to make the super spirals fries only exists at their facility in Maine.
06:12They reject any suggestion that their labels are misleading.
06:16Adding that 92% of their potato products are grown and made in Canada.
06:20They note McCain has always been a proudly Canadian company.
06:24And it's not new to their marketing.
06:27They operate seven plants here.
06:29And last year alone, they bought 2.4 billion pounds of potatoes from Canadian farms.
06:35They say their labels follow all regulations.
06:41So, what do Canadians think?
06:44We're in Maple, Ontario, to ask shoppers.
06:46You flip it over at the bottom.
06:49It says, Project of USA.
06:53It says Canadian.
06:54And I have to read it in very fine print to realize it's not Canadian.
06:59So, we gain false information.
07:01I feel a little bit cheated, honestly.
07:04They're trying to trick us into buying Canadian stuff.
07:07But you can clearly see it's made in America.
07:11Up next, a staple in many kitchens.
07:15Kraft peanut butter.
07:16Something else that stands out for Dave at the grocery store.
07:20Well, obviously the first thing that sticks out is the Canadian flag, right?
07:23And you look at it and you say, prepared in Canada.
07:26So, what does prepared in Canada mean?
07:29Prepared in Canada means it was just, everything came in from the U.S. but they made it here.
07:35Not to be confused with made in Canada.
07:38Made in Canada has to be substantial value added in Canada.
07:43So, this says prepared in Canada, which didn't achieve that threshold.
07:48I'm like, come on, there's a big maple leaf.
07:51It says Canada in big font.
07:53So, this says prepared in Canada.
07:54So, those peanuts are brought into Canada, chopped and mixed and sugar added and whatever else they add.
08:01So, it was made with Canadian labour in Canada.
08:04So, that's a good thing.
08:05But it didn't meet the made in Canada threshold.
08:08I think prepared in Canada is completely consistent with the regulations,
08:13but has the potential to confuse Canadians as to say,
08:18oh, well then it must be a Canadian product.
08:20Another product we spot, a Canadian classic.
08:24Swiss chalet ribs.
08:26The front of the package says 100% Canadian.
08:30What do you notice about this label?
08:31100% Canadian honey.
08:35Which, when I'm buying pork back ribs, even though they're honey garlic,
08:40is a fairly small proportion of what's in the box.
08:46100% Canadian honey.
08:48But how about the ribs?
08:51The box doesn't say where the pork comes from.
08:54They say 100% Canadian honey.
08:56To me, that's a warning symbol.
08:57Because, yeah, it's harney garlic sauce, but this is pork, right?
09:01We're buying pork here.
09:02The fact that it says only 100% Canadian honey would, to me, scream the fact that the rest of
09:07it isn't.
09:08We asked the parent company of Swiss Chalet, where is the pork from?
09:12But they don't answer our question.
09:15We also see this symbol required by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, a black maple leaf that says Canada.
09:22What does that mean?
09:23That means it's come through a federally inspected processing plant in Canada.
09:30That isn't a sign of origin.
09:32It's a sign of...
09:33It's been inspected by Canadian authorities.
09:35It's been inspected by Canadian authorities.
09:37I would argue that this particular CFIA requirement is misleading to Canadians,
09:42because it doesn't tell us that it's Canadian product.
09:45We're taking some of our shopping to Montreal, to a group that wants clearer labels.
09:52Sarah Eve Levac is a lawyer with the consumer advocacy group, Option Consumateur.
09:57Some consumers contact us and they have difficulty knowing exactly where the products come from.
10:01Take this proudly Canadian dainty rice.
10:05Well, the first thing I see is the proudly Canadian.
10:08I don't know where the rice is from if I look at the package.
10:10I just know that it was cleaned and packaged in Canada.
10:14But I don't have a country of origin that I can see for the rice itself.
10:19Usually rice is imported.
10:21So, even though the rice says proudly Canadian, it's not actually from Canada?
10:27The Canadian Food Inspection Agency considers the word Canadian as the same as a product of Canada,
10:34which would mean that virtually all of the product was made from Canadian ingredients in Canada.
10:39That seems to be the case with these diced tomatoes from Canadian grocer Sobeys.
10:45The can says made with 100% Canadian tomatoes and Canada Choice on the front,
10:52but doesn't say where the product is made.
10:55Canada Choice is a grade, so it doesn't mean that it's a Canadian product in itself.
11:01All I can figure out from this is that the tomatoes are Canadian and it was prepared for a company
11:08in Ontario.
11:09Where does that leave consumers?
11:11Well, it can be difficult to know.
11:14Check out this frozen spinach from Canadian grocer Metro.
11:17Looks Canadian from the front.
11:19When you see the maple leaf here, Canada A on the bottom, can we assume this is Canadian?
11:24Not necessarily because Canada A is a grade.
11:27There's an organic logo on it.
11:29Even there's a maple leaf on it.
11:30It means it satisfies the organic requirements.
11:33And it doesn't mean that it's necessarily a product of Canada.
11:36On the back, I can see it's a product of the USA.
11:39You have to flip it over to know that it's not a Canadian product.
11:43Back in Maple, shoppers say it's confusing.
11:47Canada Organic, Maple Leaf, you see Canada A.
11:51Did you know that these are not an indication of where the product is from?
11:56No.
11:57So you're thinking it's made in Canada because it says Canada Organic.
12:02I think most people come and shop and they shop quickly and they look at first glance,
12:06oh, look at that, let's shop Canadian.
12:09And Sarah says there's something missing from the package of spinach.
12:14The regulation would say that if you use the organic logo on a product,
12:18the information about the product being imported or a product of another country
12:23should be in close proximity to the logo in order to inform Canadians that it's not a product of Canada.
12:30Instead, that info is only on the back.
12:34After we bring this to Metro's attention, they say they're changing their labels
12:39and we'll add the word imported near the Canada Organic logo.
12:44They say that consumers should see the new package in about two months.
12:54Coming up.
12:56Time to leave a message after the tone.
12:58We turn to the companies for answers.
13:00It says it operates the country's only milling facility, but the rice is not grown in Canada.
13:05And go shopping down under, where the labels are more clear.
13:10I can see easily if the product was made in Australia
13:13and I can know easily how much of the product is made from Australian ingredients.
13:32These products seem Canadian.
13:35Prepared in Canada peanut butter.
13:37Ribs with 100% Canadian honey.
13:40And proudly Canadian rice.
13:42But where's the main ingredient from?
13:45Can't tell from looking at the label.
13:47So we contact customer service.
13:54When we call the number on this box, the phone rep tells us it's not just the honey that's 100
14:00% Canadian.
14:01It's made in Canada and all the ingredients are Canadian.
14:04The pork is from Canada.
14:05The sauce that we make is from Canada.
14:07And where it's made is in Canada too.
14:08But when we track down a spokesperson to confirm, turns out the pork is imported.
14:16As for the peanut butter that's prepared here.
14:19Thank you for calling the Kraft Heinz Company, Canada Consumer Centre.
14:22So I'm wondering about the smooth peanut butter.
14:26Can you tell me where the peanuts are from?
14:28After a 15 minute hold.
14:36Hi, thank you very much for holding.
14:40So the peanuts are from Canada.
14:43They're packaged in Canada.
14:46They're manufactured in Canada as well.
14:48So the peanuts itself are also grown in Canada.
14:52The peanuts themselves are grown in Canada.
14:56Hmm.
14:57We know Canada's peanut production is, well, peanuts.
15:01So we ask Kraft.
15:03They tell us the peanuts in their peanut butter are imported from the United States.
15:09Hopefully they tell customer service that too.
15:12How about the 100% Canadian tomatoes from Sobeys?
15:16Are they made here?
15:18It's processed in Canada and the Pinscript origin is Canada.
15:22We reach out to Sobeys head office and they confirm their product is indeed Canadian.
15:28And they're updating their label to make that clear.
15:31So good news for consumers.
15:34As for the proudly Canadian rice.
15:36Time to leave a message after the tone and your call will be returned as soon as possible.
15:41No response from customer service.
15:43The package doesn't say where the rice is from.
15:47We check out their website and see it's a frequently asked question.
15:51How can Dainty say it's Canadian if no rice is grown in Canada?
15:55It says it operates the country's only milling facility but the rice is not grown in Canada.
16:01Dainty rice confirms this rice is from Southeast Asia.
16:05They say that info is on their website.
16:08Adding that while they're owned by a company in France, they have Canadian roots and employ Canadians.
16:14They also say proudly Canadian reflects their identity as a Canadian brand.
16:21Could there be a clearer way to label just how Canadian something is?
16:26Let's go shopping.
16:28Online that is.
16:29We find one solution down under.
16:32Looks like we've got some peanut butter.
16:36Okay.
16:36Campbell's soup.
16:39Done.
16:40Let's check out.
16:42When our grocery order arrives all the way from Australia,
16:49there's a symbol with a kangaroo and a bar chart.
16:52Made in Australia from at least 98% Australian ingredients.
16:57That's super clear.
16:58It's been around for about eight years.
17:01Peanut butter.
17:02Less than 10% Australian.
17:05And our soup.
17:06Okay.
17:06What does this say?
17:07Made in Australia symbol as well.
17:09This one is 60% Australian.
17:12Okay.
17:13Could something similar work in Canada?
17:16So we did a little international grocery shopping.
17:18I want to show you a few products.
17:20We got these ones from down under.
17:22We show Sarah Eve with Option Consumateur.
17:26I can see easily if the product was made in Australia
17:30and I can know easily how much of the product is made from Australian ingredients.
17:35Our view is that we can have a simple logo and a simple information that is clearer for consumers
17:42that can understand at a glance if the product is from Canada or not.
17:45So what could that look like in Canada?
17:49We did a little mock-up of what labels might or could look like in Canada.
17:55Would you like to see something like this on Canadian products?
18:00Oh yeah.
18:01Easier and less time in the grocery store.
18:04Would you like to see something like this when you shop?
18:06Yes.
18:07On the products, definitely.
18:08Something like this is, yeah, would be very beneficial I think.
18:12I would feel better about it.
18:13Because that quick glance, that's what it takes for me to make my decisions.
18:16And again, got to go, got to get home, got to cook them.
18:18And I'm not spending all this time looking at labels.
18:26Coming up, we head to Ottawa with our labels and our questions for the minister in charge.
18:32A lot of shoppers are telling us they're finding labels on food packaging very confusing
18:36when they're trying to buy Canadian.
18:38Plus, find out what you can do to truly buy Canadian.
18:42Right at the bottom, it's in very small print, product of Canada.
18:52Get more Marketplace.
18:54Sign up for our weekly newsletter at cbc.ca slash marketplace.
19:08Many of us want to buy Canadian.
19:11And while we find one product that is Canadian and just doesn't say so,
19:16many of these products have labels that seem to suggest they're more Canadian than they really are.
19:23Where does all this leave shoppers?
19:25Well, it's tough. The truth is, it's tough.
19:29And Professor Von Massell says, consider this.
19:32What's Canadian depends on what's important to you.
19:36For some, that means made here is good enough.
19:39For others?
19:40Some people will say, I'd rather buy from a company that is completely Canadian.
19:45So there's all of these sort of subtleties.
19:49For food products, we often have this sort of continuum of Canadian-ness.
19:55So, to help cut through the confusion, is it time for a label makeover in Canada?
20:00We ask the CFIA for an interview, but they decline.
20:06Then we try the minister in charge of the CFIA.
20:09Her staff declines multiple requests.
20:14So, we're on Parliament Hill.
20:16To get answers from Marjorie Michel.
20:19Now, Minister Michel, Rosa from Marketplace here.
20:22We're finding that a lot of shoppers are telling us they're finding labels on food packaging very confusing when they're
20:27trying to buy Canadian.
20:28I am looking into it.
20:28You are looking into it, so you're looking to make it easier? What exactly are you hoping to do?
20:32I am looking into everything that can make life easier for Canadian.
20:35Labels in particular?
20:37Labels also.
20:38Labels are part of the package. We look forward to talking to you more about it.
20:44What can you look for to guarantee you're really buying Canadian?
20:49Our last stop, Winnipeg, to meet Marnie Scott, who's on a mission to help shoppers buy Canadian.
20:57She looks for just three words on packages.
21:01Product of Canada.
21:02Lots of different Canadian labels, but what we're looking for is that product of Canada, those exact words, right?
21:08Yes.
21:08Because it means it's mostly Canadian.
21:09Yes, it means it's 98% plus.
21:11Okay.
21:12Could be 100% Canadian ingredients.
21:14And not just the ingredients.
21:16It means the processing and labour are Canadian, too.
21:21Right at the bottom, it's in very small print.
21:23Product of Canada.
21:24Oh, it looks like we got another one here.
21:26Yeah.
21:26That's Product of Canada.
21:28There we go.
21:28Product of Canada.
21:29This one has it.
21:31Marnie's so passionate about buying Canadian.
21:34She started a website listing Canadian products.
21:37I realized that a lot of the stuff I thought was Canadian actually wasn't.
21:40I've got 450 companies from across Canada.
21:44We've got Wasabi in BC.
21:46We've got turmeric and ginger in Ontario.
21:49Canadians need to inform themselves about what they're buying.
21:52And the more Canadian content and sourcing, the better.
21:56So, when you're looking to get groceries made here with Canadian ingredients,
22:01Product of Canada means you can be sure what's in your cart is the real deal.
22:11Got a story you think Marketplace should investigate?
22:14Reach out to us at Marketplace at cbc.ca.
22:19We'll see you next time.
22:23We'll see you next time.
Comments