Real Canadian Superstore has been fined $10,000 by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for what the agency says were “misleading” displays about “Product of Canada” labels.
The CFIA says the fine relates to the use of the term, which, along with “Made in Canada,” can only be claimed if specific criteria are met for those items.
This comes as the Buy Canadian movement over the past year has seen consumers prioritizing domestically sourced goods and services, and even domestic travel destinations that support the local economy amid U.S. tariffs and threats of annexation by U.S. President Donald Trump.
It wasn’t made clear which products were featured in the “displays” in question at store 1033, which company listings say is located at 51 Gerry Fitzgerald Dr. in Toronto.
Real Canadian Superstore is a subsidiary grocery brand under the Loblaw banner of stores.
Global News sent separate requests for comment to both Loblaw and the CFIA on Tuesday, and asked what the specific products were, the nature of the “displays” and how they appeared to customers, and if there are plans to expand the investigation to other stores and products.
Neither responded by publication time.
In March 2025, at the start of the trade war, the CFIA said it was tracking a rise in complaints about items that may have been mislabelled as “Product of Canada” or had other missing details about the origin of products or ingredients.
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A fine of $10,000 for a business is considered a “very serious” violation, according to the CFIA’s administrative monetary penalties list, which includes violations “committed by persons or companies in the course of business or for financial gain, the penalty amounts may be adjusted up or down, depending upon the total gravity value.”
Specific guidelines must be followed when claiming products have Canadian origins to maintain transparency for consumers.
Canada’s Competition Bureau maintains guidelines and enforces the terms of use for “Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada” on non-food products, while the CFIA does so on food products.
For the “Product of Canada” label, the CFIA says the food product itself must source “virtually all major ingredients, processing, and labour” in Canada, and up to two per cent of the product can be sourced elsewhere. It adds that some examples of non-Canadian components of how a product is made for sale include spices, food additives, vitamins, minerals and flavouring preparations.
A “Product of Canada” can also be something that is grown in Canada from imported “agricultural inputs,” including seeds, fertilizers, animal feed and medications.
The CFIA also says it would not disqualify a food product from the “Product of Canada” claim if it used packaging materials sourced from outside Canada.
One example the CFIA provides is oatmeal cookies approved for the “Product of Canada” claim.
In the example, the cookies are manufactured in Canada using Canadian oatmeal, enriched flour, butter, honey and milk, as well as imported vanilla, and the flour used may contain vitamins that are not from Canada.
For a food product to be considered “Made in Canada,” the CFIA says the claim can be used “when the last substantial transformation of the product occurred in Canada,” which can include “some” ingredients from other countries.
The CFIA adds that for the “Made in Canada” claim to be used, it must be accompanied by a “qualifying statement,” which indicates whether the product is made up of imported ingredients, or a combination of imported and domestic ingredients.
In the oatmeal cookie example, the CFIA says if the cookies are produced in Canada from imported flour, oatmeal, sugar and shortening, they can be labelled or advertised as “Made in Canada from imported ingredients.”
The CFIA’s criteria mean the “Product of Canada” label is more often the most Canadian choice for consumers, but understanding the differences between the two claims may still be confusing.
A survey study from last year found that among participants who claimed they didn’t know the difference between “Made in Canada” and “Product of Canada,” 37 per cent said they would prefer to buy a “Made in Canada” product, while 23 per cent would choose a “Product of Canada” and another 40 per cent reported no preference.
When the definitions of each were explained, however, 12 per cent said they would choose a “Made in Canada” product, while 66 per cent chose a “Product of Canada,” and those with no preference dropped to 21 per cent.
— with a file from Global’s Sean Previl
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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