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Male character: Have you ever wondered where the food you buy comes from?
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If you're like me, you look at product labels when you're grocery shopping.
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But you may not know what to look for.
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Or what the Canadian content information on product labels means.
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So Canada's federal government has developed guidelines...
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...to help you understand claims that labels make about Canadian content in your food.
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Claims of Canadian content on a food label must be truthful and not misleading.
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The ones you will see most often are: product of Canada...
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...made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients...
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...and made in Canada from imported ingredients.
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Let's start with this can of tomatoes.
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It says 'product of Canada'.
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In order for a food product to say 'product of Canada' on the label...
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...most of it has to be Canadian.
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That means that all, or virtually all, of the major ingredients...
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...processing, and labour used to make the food product must be Canadian.
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Generally only a very small amount of ingredients contained in the food may be imported.
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That amount is 2% or less. These ingredients might be spices or additives found in these tomatoes.
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The 'product of Canada' on this bottle of canola oil...
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...means that the oilseeds were grown and harvested in Canada...
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...and processed into oil in Canada.
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When I buy fresh meat...
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...I always look for the 'product of Canada'.
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That way I know that this chicken, for example...
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...was hatched, raised, and processed right here in Canada.
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I prefer to buy 'product of Canada' but I understand that some ingredients...
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...used to make our food are not always available here. Some cannot grow in Canada.
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So I look for other types of labels that help me decide which products to bring home.
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There are two types of 'made in Canada' statements...
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...that tell me that all the ingredients in these products were not grown here...
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...but the product itself was made in Canada.
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Let's take this strawberry jam as an example of the first type.
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Its label says 'made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients'.
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This means that the jam was made in Canada using both Canadian and imported ingredients.
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This bottle of salad dressing...
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...it says 'made in Canada from imported ingredients'.
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That's the second type of 'made in Canada' label.
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It lets me know that the product was made here in Canada...
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...and that all of its ingredients are imported.
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In both cases, this additional information about the ingredients...
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...which is called a 'qualifying statement', must be on the label.
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Other claims that describe a Canadian contribution...
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...may also be used as long as they are truthful and not misleading for consumers.
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Take these frozen peas, for example.
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They say 'grown in Canada'.
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Other statements will tell you exactly which ingredient is Canadian.
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This package of tortillas, for example.
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It says 'made with Canadian wheat'.
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This box of instant oatmeal...
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...reads 'made with 100% Canadian oats.
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This means all the oats are from Canada.
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Other ingredients, like the sugar in this product, might have been imported.
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Some statements explain what level of processing occurred in Canada.
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Like this bag of coffee beans.
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Roasted in Canada.
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Or a frozen dinner.
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Prepared in Canada.
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Some companies may use a maple leaf on their label.
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This can help you identify products that have a Canadian contribution.
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A maple leaf may be used on a food label only...
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...if a statement about Canadian content is placed close to the maple leaf.
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So when you look at the maple leaf...
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...look for 'product of Canada', 'made in Canada', or a similar statement near it.
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That will give you more information about the product.
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Some groups in Canada have logos to help you identify Canadian products.
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For example, the Canadian Cattlemen's Association...
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...developed the Canadian beef brand mark which identifies that the beef...
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...was raised and processed in Canada.
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Pork Marketing Canada has their brand mark, which tells me...
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...that the pork was born, raised, and processed right here in Canada.
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This chocolate ice cream...
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...has a declaration that says 100% Canadian milk.
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This statement means that all of the milk and all other milk ingredients are Canadian.
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But other ingredients, like the sugar and the cocoa used to flavour it could be imported.
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One easy mistake that many consumers like myself make...
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...is thinking that some logos and statements mean the product is Canadian when they often don't.
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For example, this Canada Organic Standard logo...
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...shows me that the yogurt I bought has met the Canadian Government standards for organic food.
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Any food that meets the standard could have the logo on the label...
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...regardless if it contains domestic ingredients, imported ingredients, or both.
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Grading statements indicate quality of a product not Canadian content.
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This jar of honey says 'Canada no.1'.
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It tells me that this honey meets the requirements of the number 1 grade...
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...established in Canada but it could have been imported from Argentina.
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Even fresh produce can include grading statements.
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These apples are given the 'Canada Extra Fancy' grade...
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...however, they could have been imported.
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You don't have to feel overwhelmed by the information on a food label.
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Although companies are not required to use them...
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...you can rely on the federal government's 'Product of Canada' guidelines...
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...to help you identify Canadian content, and processing...
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...that way, you know you're bringing home products from Canada's producers...
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...and processors who are dedicated to excellence...
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...safety, quality, and environmental responsibility.
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Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada wants to help inform consumers just like you...
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...about the benefits of looking for Canadian foods at the grocery store.
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To learn more about how to identify Canadian food products, the advantages of buying Canadian...
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...and great recipes using Canadian ingredients...
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...please visit www.eatcanadian.ca
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