You might spot the maple leaf on many products across Canada, but that doesn’t always mean the item is Canadian.
Some companies are engaging in what experts call “maple washing,” a term used to describe the use of symbols or marketing to falsely claim products as Canadian made.
Consumers looking to support Canadian products rely on labels to make decisions on what to buy, but it’s not so simple.
“When you start peeling layers, you’re starting to notice that there are different levels of Canadiana out there,” said Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, a food distribution and policy professor at Dalhousie University.
One may miss the details if not reading product labels carefully. For example, a pouch of walnuts from a company called Nutworks has a Canadian Maple Leaf on it — but the label clearly discloses the pouch was manufactured in Canada. The walnuts come from the U.S.A.
A representative from Nutworks reached out to CityNews, explaining that “the wording was quite clear as not to be misleading in any way. It specifically states “This pouch was proudly manufactured in Canada” in the black bar at the bottom of the back of the pouch. It is purposely separated from the label that contains the ingredients, nutrition facts, and more to the point – the country of origin which IS displayed on every one of our products. We’re a Canadian family business. We support Canadian manufacturing, and we’re proud that our pouches are manufactured here in Canada by Canadians.”
While the Canadian Food Inspection Agency oversees food labeling guidelines, they have no official “Made in Canada” logo.
In a statement to CityNews, the CFIA said it takes mislabeling seriously and has taken enforcement action in all cases of non-compliance.
What to watch for on labels
When a product claims “Made in Canada”, consumers should check for additional information and whether it is:
- Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients
- Made in Canada from 100% of Canadian ingredients and imported ingredients
- Made in Canada from imported ingredients
“You don’t have to put maple leaves out there. It’s the labels that are highly regulated,” said Charlebois. “If you see a flag or maple leaf right next to the price, that’s extra.”
If you believe a product is falsely labeled, you can file a complaint at inspection.canada.ca