The Government of Canada has launched a public consultation on making changes to the labelling guidelines for ‘Product of Canada’ and ‘Made in Canada’.
Image: The Government of Canada seeks views on making changes to labelling guidelines for ‘Product of Canada’ and ‘Made in Canada’. Photo: courtesy of Igor Ovsyannykov / Pixabay.
The guidelines for ‘Product of Canada’ and ‘Made in Canada’ claims endorse compliance with subsection 5(1) of the Food and Drugs Act and subsection 6(1) of the Safe Food for Canadians Act, which restrict false and misleading claims.
A food product can use the claim ‘Product of Canada’ when all or virtually all major ingredients, processing and labour used to make the food product are Canadian.
A ‘Made in Canada’ claim with a qualifying statement has to be used on a food product when the last substantial transformation of the product occurred in Canada.
The use of both claims is voluntary, but once a company selects to make one of these claims, the product to which it is applied should meet these guidelines.
The changes have been proposed to the labelling guidelines to improve upon the information available to consumers to determine Canadian food products and make informed purchasing decisions.
The guidelines are also based on the recommendations following a recent survey of Canada’s food industry, headed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Consumers need to submit their comments by 23 June.
In November 2018, the Canadian Government announced that amending the guidelines for ‘Product of Canada’ and ‘Made in Canada’ labelling claims will help enhance business growth and trade.
In December 2008, the current guidelines for both claims came into force, following consultations with industry and consumers.
Canada Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said: “Consumers want to know when their food has a significant amount of Canadian ingredients, so that they make informed decisions and support domestic food producers.
“This initiative is an important part of our Food Policy for Canada, and the Buy Canadian Promotion campaign, which will promote the great foods produced by our world-class farmers across the country, and build pride and confidence in our food system.”