The agency said it has penalized five stores a combined total of $47,000 across Canada since April 1, 2025, for doing so, including a Fortinos located on Queens Plate in Etobicoke and an undisclosed Real Canadian Superstore in Toronto. These two stores were each given a $10,000 fine on Jan. 15 for alleged violations that were reported in October of last year.<\/p>\n
The CFIA confirmed to CTV News Toronto the Fortinos used deceptive labelling or advertising on cheese and the Superstore had done the same with a package of broccoli slaw. They did not specify the exact product.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Loblaw Companies Ltd. said the company takes their labelling responsibilities \u201cseriously\u201d and are committed to not only meeting regulatory requirements, but ensuring their customers can trust the information seen in their stores. <\/p>\n
\u201cWith thousands of products on our shelves, many sourced from different regions throughout the year, information can change quickly,\u201d Loblaw said in an email. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we work hard to keep everything current, there are times when signage may not be updated as quickly as inventory is replenished.\u201d<\/p>\n
The retailer confirmed these were isolated cases, and said Loblaw is reinforcing their processes to ensure this does not happen again. <\/p>\n
Between April 1, 2025, and March 16, the CFIA said it has seen 104 non-compliances related to country-of-origin labelling through complaints, inspections and surveillance activities. <\/p>\n
While five stores were financially penalized, the CFIA said the remaining cases were addressed through other measures, which can include a letter of non-compliance, or a suspension or cancellation of licences, registrations or permits.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe preference for supporting Canadian business is unlike anything I\u2019ve seen in my lifetime,\u201d Richard Leblanc, professor of governance, law and ethics, and director of the Master of Financial Accountability program at York University, told CTV News Toronto. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s important for grocers to get this right so we don\u2019t have regulatory fines and we don\u2019t have frustrated or confused consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/DK52UJQHEECQJ5JKVJLEGUR5PQ.jpg\")
Shoppers browse goods in the produce section of a Toronto Loblaws Shoppers browse goods in the produce section of a Toronto Loblaws on Friday, May 3, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Chris Young \u2018Slap on the wrist\u2019<\/p>\n
David Soberman, professor of marketing at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, said he sees the $10,000 fines as merely a \u201cslap on the wrist.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot really as a punitive fine because $10,000, even for a grocery store like Loblaws \u2026 is relatively small,\u201d Soberman said in an interview with CTV News Toronto.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, the reason I think it\u2019s only a slap on the wrist, and this is just my own opinion, is that this is really caused by negligence on the part of the stores. It\u2019s not really an effort to be deceptive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The retailer was the one to receive the fine, Soberman pointed out, not the company who makes the product to begin with. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe manufacturers are very careful with whether they put \u2018Made in Canada\u2019 or \u2018Product of Canada\u2019 or \u2018Prepared in Canada,\u2019\u201d Soberman said. \u201cThe retailers are just taking somebody else\u2019s product and trying to draw attention to them on the part of the shoppers. This is, really, a retail problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
The push to buy Canadian swirled to the forefront amid the rise of U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs last year, prompting many grocery stores to slap a maple leaf logo on shelf tags. <\/p>\n
Leblanc said there may be some growing pains for retailers to apply the \u201cbuy Canadian\u201d standards. But the CFIA\u2019s fines signals more to Leblanc. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more the reputational impairment that\u2019s associated with a fine such as this, and also the legal risk that is there,\u201d Leblanc told CTV News Toronto. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think what it signals to the market and to change in Canada. Listen, you\u2019ve got to put the time and attention, and it will cost money to have the proper internal controls so that you don\u2019t have mislabelling,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Leblanc says conversations are likely already being had in grocers\u2019 boardrooms around the risks of mislabelling and what internal controls they should be implementing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think boards are being seized with emerging and new risks that are caused by the tariffs and the Trump administration, and they\u2019re compelling management teams to be completely transparent on the controls for these new risks,\u201d Leblanc said.<\/p>\n
Decoding \u2018Canadian\u2019 food labels<\/p>\n
There are strict guidelines how \u201cCanadian\u201d a food item really is. <\/p>\n
If \u201cProduct of Canada\u201d is found on the label, that means all, or nearly all, of the ingredients are Canadian. It also signifies the processing and labour behind the product are Canadian, according to the CFIA\u2019s guidelines<\/a>. <\/p>\n The product would still be considered Canadian even if it used packaging sourced from outside of the country, the CFIA said, or used less than two per cent of ingredients that are not produced locally, such as spices. <\/p>\n \u201cMade in Canada means the last substantial transformation of the product occurred in Canada,\u201d the CFIA said on its website, providing the example that the processing of key ingredients of a pizza would be considered as such. <\/p>\n \u201cMade in Canada\u201d products also need to discern the source of origin the ingredients were used. For example, if a product contains both domestic and imported ingredients, the packaging must note that it was made in Canada with those sets of ingredients.<\/p>\n There are other more specific claims a product\u2019s packaging can contain to denote its Canadian value, like whether it was canned, packaged or prepared in Canada. <\/p>\n