The culprit behind Loblaw’s $10,000 fine for promoting imported food as Canadian? piece of broccoli
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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has provided CBC News with new information about the $10,000 fine it issued last month to a Loblaw-owned superstore for advertising imported food as Canadian.
Federal food regulators said the mislabeled product was a Loblaw-owned brand: President’s Choice Broccoli Slaw, a version of coleslaw made with chopped broccoli.
The CFIA said the Toronto superstore promoted bags of salad with “maple leaf advertising decals” and a “Product of Canada” statement on in-store shelf tags, even though its packaging reads “Product of the USA.”
For a food product to be labeled “Product of Canada”, it must be entirely or almost entirely made in Canada, According to CFIA.
Despite numerous customer complaints, no major grocery chains have been fined for promoting imported products as Canadian – a process known as maple washing.
Grocers have cashed in on a buy-Canadian movement that gained momentum early last year — in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments on a tariff war and Canada becoming the 51st state — by using Canadian branding in their stores to promote domestic products.
but both CFIA And cbc news There have been several cases where large grocers have promoted imported food as containing Canadian ingredients, a practice known as “maple washing”.
So far CFIA has only announcedFine handed over to a superstore.
Last week, CBC News asked the agency why Loblaw’s rival Sobeys didn’t face any fines following a CFIA investigation last April into a mislabeling case that 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 the statement “Made in Canada.” But the small print on the bottle revealed that the product was imported.
On Wednesday, the CFIA indicated that Sobeys could still be fined in the case. The agency said in an email that although the grocer has fixed the problem, “the file is ongoing to determine whether further action is appropriate.”
CFIA came to know about it Sheila Young, who lives just outside Edmonton, received the mislabeled oil after she complained to the agency about the product.
He said he was puzzled as to why the agency was taking so long to decide whether it would impose a fine.
Young said, “It seems like ten months has been too long to not reach a conclusion. So, it’s disappointing.” “I would love to know why they are struggling with this file.”
Is a $10K fine high enough?
after reporting $10,000 superstore fine Last week, CBC News heard from several shoppers who complained that the fine for Loblaw, Canada’s largest grocery store, was too light.
on wednesday, Posted by Loblaw Retail revenue for the quarter was $16.38 billion.
“Ten thousand is a bucket for them. It’s not going to hurt them financially,” said Brenda Nicholls of Hamilton, Ontario, a shopper who says she’s committed to the Buy-Canadian movement.
He suggested that major grocers caught promoting foreign goods in Canada should face fines starting at $100,000.
“The food inspection agency needs to send a very strong message so that this behavior is not repeated,” Nichols said.
However, a six-point fine would require a change in the rules. currently, CFIA can only impose fines Up to $15,000 per offense.
Loblaws and Sobeys told CBC News they strive for accurate indication of country of origin, but note the task is challenging when dealing with large inventory.
