Food labels may tell you about a product's country of origin, the origin of a product's ingredients or whether the food is imported. Some information is required to appear on labels and some information is voluntary.
On this page
- Foods that must show country of origin
- How to tell if a food is imported
- Grocery store signs and advertisements
- Voluntary claims
- How to tell if a food is Canadian
- How to report misleading food labels
- Guidance for industry
Foods that must show country of origin
In Canada, these prepackaged foods must show the country of origin on the label:
- Imported foods
- Foods produced in Canada
Look for the words:
- "Product of [Name the country of origin]" (for example, "Product of Mexico")
Sometimes different wording is allowed. For example:
- Honey produced and graded in Canada may be labelled "Canadian Honey" or "Product of Canada"
How to tell if a food is imported
When a food product is made entirely outside of Canada, the label must show this in one of three ways:
- the name and principal place of business of the foreign manufacturer
- "imported for" or "imported by" followed by the name and principal place of business of the Canadian company
- the name and principal place of business of the Canadian company with the country of origin of the product
You can use this information to contact the company if you have questions about the origin of a food you purchased.
Grocery store signs and advertisements
It is not a federal requirement for retailers to identify the country of origin on shelf tags, price signs or other retail signage. Grocery stores may include this voluntarily or because they are required to by the province. For information on the requirements in your province, you can contact your provincial government.
Multiple countries of origin on a store sign
Retailers can voluntarily include more than one country of origin on store signs as long as products from each country are available for sale. For example, if a grocery store has a sign advertising strawberries from Canada and Mexico, the shelf must have strawberries from both countries. If the strawberries from Canada sell out, the sign must be changed to reflect that only strawberries from Mexico are available for purchase.
Voluntary claims
Some food labels or advertisements include voluntary claims about the origin of the product or ingredients in the product. Regardless of whether country of origin information is required or provided on a voluntary basis, food labels and advertisements (including in-store signage) must be accurate, truthful, and not mislead or deceive the consumer.
How to tell if a food is Canadian
Learn about Canadian content claims with our quick reference guide: how to identify Canadian food.
Want more Canadian food choices? Here's how you can help
If you would like to see more Canadian food products in your local store, a practical step is to share your preferences directly with the retailer. You can also ask the retailer about the origin of products that don't carry that information on their label.
Customer feedback and questions can influence the retailer's purchasing decisions, product selection and information displayed in-store and in advertisements.
How to report misleading food labels
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) takes labelling issues seriously and wants to know about products that consumers think are labelled in a misleading manner.
Report your food complaints or concerns to the CFIA.