New "Product of Canada" guidelines released

By Gary Sliworsky
Ag. Rep

In the past few months, the Government of Canada has received numerous letters and enquiries regarding Product of Canada labelling on food. Recent media reports have also noted consumer dissatisfaction in determining the amount of Canadian content in foods, and their surprise to find how little Canadian content is in products they consider to be Canadian from reading the label.
On July 15, 2008 the Government of Canada announced new labelling guidelines for the use of Product of Canada and Made in Canada claims on food labels and in advertising. The revised guidelines below will help Canadians make informed choices about the products they are purchasing. They were developed to reflect consumer and industry expectations about what constitutes a Canadian product and to promote compliance with subsection 5(1) of the Food and Drugs Act and subsection 7(1) of the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act.

Product of Canada - Under the new guidelines when the label claim Product of Canada is applied, all or virtually all of the significant ingredients, components, processing and labour used in the food product must be Canadian. Food products claiming Product of Canada must contain very little or no foreign content, with the exception of minor food additives, spices, vitamins, minerals and flavouring preparations.
Made in Canada - The Made in Canada claim may be used when the food product is manufactured or processed in Canada regardless of whether the ingredients are imported or domestic or a mix of both. However, this claim must always be qualified with either Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients or Made in Canada from imported ingredients. To use these qualified claims, the last substantial transformation of the product must have occurred in Canada. This recognizes the importance of value added by Canadian ingredients and processing.
Qualified claims for other food products that do not meet the new Product of Canada and Made in Canada guidelines may continue to be used. In particular, Roasted in Canada, Packaged in Canada, Distilled in Canada, Processed in Canada, etc. could be used provided that they are not false or misleading. However, use of Product of Canada and the qualified Made in Canada claim is encouraged for those products that meet the guidelines in order to provide consistency and clarity for the consumer.
The revised guidelines will come into effect on December 31, 2008. It is recognized that many products produced or manufactured before this date may already be on store shelves. However, it is expected that all products produced after this date would comply with the new guidelines.
Additional information on the Canadian Food Labelling Initiative can be found on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s website and in the 2003 Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising. A number of Frequently Asked Questions, , along with answers which provide further detail on the interpretation of these guidelines, have also been developed. Should you require further information or have questions regarding these guidelines, please call the Canadian Food Inspection Agency at 1-800-442-2342.

Dates to Remember
·Sept.6 – Yearling Sale, Stratton Sales Barn