Made in Canada: Here's how to read food product labels at the store

Now that trade talks between Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump have collapsed, many shoppers are revisiting their choices at the grocery store. Drazen - stock.adobe.com

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With the recent breakdown in tariff talks between Canada and the U.S., Canadians may start doubling down again on their support for local.

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In early 2025, many Canadian shoppers made a statement at the grocery store by opting for Canadian over imported U.S. products. The movement picked up steam, with many grocery stores installing “Made in B.C.” or “Buy B.C.” signage and stocking more local products and items.

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Now that trade talks between Canada and the U.S. have collapsed again in August 2026, many shoppers are revisiting their choices at the grocery store.

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What are the rules about product labelling in Canada?

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In Canada, there are rules about how food products are labelled to communicate where it comes from.

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The labels may say where the product was grown or where it was processed; it can also tell us what ingredients are used and where those ingredients are from.

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All packaged food sold in Canada must be labelled with the name and address of the company responsible for the product, whether that’s the company importing the food or the manufacturer responsible for making it.

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What does the label usually look like?

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Food that is manufactured outside of Canada is required to show the name and address of the foreign manufacturer or the Canadian company that imported the product along with the product’s country of origin. It must clearly state that the product is “imported for” or “imported by” to indicate its origins.

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What labels should I look for at the grocery store?

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When you’re at the store, you’ll want to look for the following labels:

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• “Local”: Produced and sold in the same province or within 50 kilometres of the originating province or territory.
• “Product of Canada”: Produced and processed in Canada.
• “Made in Canada”: Last processed in Canada but could include domestic or imported ingredients.

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Read on for explanations about what each label means.

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What does ‘local’ mean?

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According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, a product may be recognized and advertised as ‘local’ if it is produced in the same province or territory where it is sold.

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A product may still be considered local, even if it is sold across provincial borders, as long as it is within 50 kilometres of the originating province or territory where it is produced.

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What does ‘product of Canada’ mean?

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Anything at the grocery store that is labelled as a ‘product of Canada’ means all of its major ingredients, where it was processed, and the labour used to produce it are Canadian or are located in Canada.

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This guideline applies to the produce itself and not the packaging materials. Products containing ingredients that are non-Canadian but total less than two per cent of the product’s content can still be considered a product of Canada. This is often the case if a product uses an imported ingredient that isn’t generally found or produced in Canada.