No penalty for big grossers promoting imported food as Canadian

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has identified 12 cases where Grosers “are engaged in”Wash maple“An exercise where companies use Canadian branding like maple leaf to promote imported food products.

The agency told CBC News in an email that violations arising out of complaints filed with CFIA between February and May, and all included national grocery chains.

Cfia can impose fine Up to $ 15,000 per crimeNo fine or other punishment was issued in cases, one of which took four months to solve it completely.

The federal food regulator stated that it was “action” in each case and, in all of them, Grosers fixed the problem.

The CFIA would not provide any grocery name, but CBC News confirmed that the long -term case included avocado oil that was purchased at an Sobe -owned grocery store near Edmonton.

Some shopkeepers worry about the Canadian movement to buy that if there is no result of the Grosers, “maple washing” will remain.

“As consumers, we are trying to do our share,” said Brenda Nichols, a resident of Hamilton. “I think the CFIA needs to move and impose a fine, putting some pressure (current), so that there are some changes at the grocery store.”

In July, CBC News Your investigation And exposed more than a dozen cases of maple washing in a Toronto Sobi, and a lobblavic -owned frills.

Read CBC after Nichols InvestigationHe is carefully checking the label in shops, and discovered misleading signage.

At the end of July, Nicols found a red maple leaf symbol in Fortino owned by its local Loblav and found Blackberry with a “Canadian product” declaration. But the fine print on the packaging said they were “USA products”

The following month, he found Shatavari in his local No Fils promoted with a red maple leaf plus “prepared in Canada” and “Canada’s product” announcements. But the tag of the product stated that it was distributed by an American company and “Peru’s yield”.

“The Canadian label product was just arbitrarily slapped, and it is misleading,” Nicholas said.

He did not file a complaint with CFIA. But in the case of berries, Nicholas says he complained to the staff of Fortino Store. When nothing has changed, she says that she warned the owner of the store, which made the error.

Marketing professor Tim Dehrest says that if the grossers are found making frequent mistakes, they should face the results.

“At a certain point, you say,” is enough, “said Dehrst, a professor at Guelf University.

“If there is no fine despite repeated violations, it becomes that there are no teeth of rules.”

The right signage is law

Loblaw did not comment on Nicholas’s findings and Sobes did not comment on the avocado oil case. But both are groups Told CBC News They try to indicate an accurate country-origin, and note that this task is challenging when dealing with mass inventory and working with constantly changing suppliers.

Both Grosers – Canada’s largest – also said that they are constantly trying to reduce errors.

Federal rules states that food label and in-store signage Should be accurate and not misleading,

The CFIA says it so far received 160 complaints related to the claims of the country-root for food, of which 41 percent were filed between July and August. Forty cases have been identified by the agency as a violation of rules.

The CBC has a details of 27 violations that stems from complaints received by the end of May. Most include national grocery series. The agency said that no fine was issued in any case, all of which are now resolved.

In seven cases, in-store signage advertised the yield as “Canadian products”-one claim that did not match the right print. In another five cases, a maple leaf was used on in-store labeling to promote imported products spices and coffee.

“Canada’s product,” “made in Canada” and “Prepared in Canada” requires a label each Different degrees of Canadian materialsWhich cannot include the packaging process, the CFIA told CBC News.

Promotional use of maple leaf symbol should not be “true and misleading,” added to the agency.

Avocado oil case

CBC News identified the grocery in a CFIA case as the complainant approached the CBC and provided documentation.

Sheela Young, who lives outside Edmonton, complained to the agency in April about the praise of the Sobes’s House Brand, who praises the avocado oil purchased in the safeway owned by her local Soby.

In-store signage for oil included a red maple leaf and label “Made in Canada”. But small prints on the bottle revealed that the product was imported.

“It is maple washing and it should not be done,” said Young. “I’m retired. I have time to apply on my reading glasses and read all labels, and there are many people who do not.”

In July, Young filed his complaint with CFIA three months after, Similar cases were found in CBC News investigation: More than a dozen imported praise products including Salad Dressing, Prun and Raw Nut, were promoted in a Toronto Sobies Store with the same Maple Leaf Symbol and, in many cases, “Made in Canada” declaration.

Shortly after the CBC’s search report, Sobe removed its Canadian branding from imported praise products painted in the story.

Four months after the CFIA started looking at Young’s avocado oil complaint, the agency reported that the case was resolved.

The CFIA stated that the misleading signage for oil was removed back in April, but it took an additional time to determine whether further corrective tasks were needed to avoid similar situations in the future. ,

Cfia responds

Young was happy to know that his case finally closed. However, she says Sobi should be punished, as she believes that the company was responsible for the long resolution process. Neither he nor the CBC news knows the exact details behind the delay.

“I am disappointed that it took four months,” she said. “It should be something that can be cleaned within a few weeks.”

Young explains that the procurement Canadian movement has been strengthening for seven months now.

“Enough time has passed,” he said. “(Grouscers) It should be together.”

The CFIA stated that it selects appropriate enforcement action based on a range of ideas, including “taking the misguided of food seriously” and “with” risk factors, with the company’s compliance history and “including accountability”. ,

What can shopkeepers do?

DewhInd suggests to check all the labels concerned.

“Onas should not be left only to shopkeepers,” he said. “But of course, only due to the number of examples that we have fallen incorrectly, I will definitely encourage people … Actually (and) to carefully examine the label (and) to make (and) not just to create a perception because they see a maple leaf.”

For Nichols, after her recent experiences with misunderstandings, she says that she is mainly shops in independent stores that are experts of locally produced food.

“It is up to the consumer to talk with their wallet.”