Loblaw-owned superstore fined $10K for promoting imported food as Canadian
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Canada’s food regulator has fined a Loblaw-owned store $10,000 for promoting imported food as a “product of Canada.”
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) told CBC News that a Toronto superstore improperly used “maple leaf advertising decals” as part of an in-store display to promote a foreign product.
“It created a product advertisement that is misleading consumers about the origin of the product,” the CFIA said in an email. The fine was issued on January 15, but the agency waited until this week to announce it.
CFIA may imposeFines up to $15,000 per offense. Neither the federal agency nor Loblaw would say which product resulted in the fine.
The superstore is located on Gerry Fitzgerald Drive at the north end of town. Loblaw said it strives for accurate indication of country of origin, but the task is challenging when dealing with massive inventories.
“We are therefore continuing to strengthen our processes,” Canada’s largest grocer said in an email. They added, “We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.”
Many major grocery chains are trying to attract conscious shoppers to ‘Buy Canadian’, but when CBC News took a closer look, it found misleading Canadian branding for many imported food products.
Anger among shopkeepers due to non-imposition of fine
The Buy-Canadian movement gained momentum early last year in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments about a tariff war and Canada becoming the 51st state. Grocers took advantage of this trend by using Canadian branding in their stores to promote domestic products – sometimes inaccurately.
Following is the CFIA’s decision to impose fine on Superstore CBC News investigation Last summer some major grocers were revealed to be passing off imported food as Canadian ingredients – a practice known as “maple washing.”
Federal regulations state that food labels and in-store signage Must be accurate and not misleading.
Toronto Sobeys ad included among false cases exposed Raw almonds with red maple leaf symbol and “Made in Canada” declaration on product signage. However, Canada does not grow almonds.
CBC News also Loblaw-owned Toronto No Frills displayed strawberries with signage that included a red maple leaf and the phrase, “Made in Canada.” But on the packaging of the berries it was written that they were “Product of USA”.
last September, Some shopkeepers expressed anger thThe CFIA did not impose any fines on grocers in dozens of “maple washing” cases uncovered by the agency itself.
CFIA said this It “takes mislabeling on foods seriously” and selects appropriate enforcement action “based on a variety of considerations” including risk factors, the company’s compliance history, and its “accountability to resolve the problem.”
The agency has yet to answer questions about why Sobeys avoided a fine after investigating the mislabeling issue last April, which took four months to resolve.
In that case, a Sobeys-owned Safeway store just outside Edmonton advertised the house brand Compliments avocado oil with in-store signage that included a red maple leaf and a “Made in Canada” label. But the small print on the bottle revealed that the product was imported.
Sheila Young, who complained to the CFIA about avocado oil, said in September that it was time for the agency to start issuing fines in these types of cases.
“It’s been a long time,” said Young, who lives just outside Edmonton. “(Grocers) need to put it together.”
According to CFIA“Product of Canada” refers to food that is entirely or almost entirely produced in the country. To qualify as “Made in Canada”, the last significant transformation of a food product must occur in the country.
