Defending Democracy

Defending Democracy is an affiliate group working to increase voter participation and promote buying Canadian. To learn more, contact Corliss Olson or Info AT Grand River Unitarian DOT ca.

“Canadians Supporting Canadians” by Rona Goldensher

“A nation is a living organism whose functions are all interdependent”, Hugues Lapointe, Canadian MP, 1940.

After recent escalations of hostile actions from the US, many are re-focusing on how to best support fellow Canadians by way of their food choices.  This is the first instalment on a series from the Defending Democracy group on ways Canadians can come together to support each other at this time. Those food labels about Canadian content can be confusing.  Here’s a guide:

The maple leaf by itself has no official meaning regarding Canadian content of food. Instead, here are the official meanings, starting with most impactful choices and going down the list.

First choice: 100% Canadian” the processing, labour, and all ingredients are Canadian.
-or-
“Product of Canada” means that the processing and labour are Canadian and a significant amount of the ingredients are Canadian (much more common than 100%).

Second choice:  “Made in Canada” means that the last substantial transformation of the product occurred in Canada. Look for the second part of label such as: “Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients” or “Made in Canada from imported ingredients”

Third choice: “Prepared/Packaged/Roasted/Distilled, etc. in Canada” especially when buying from a Canadian company.

From: How to identify Canadian food: (from the Government of Canada website)  

http://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-labels/labelling/consumers/canadian-food

Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. If there is a Canadian alternative (as long as it is affordable ) and fits our needs, it’s an opportunity to support Canadian workers, even though we can’t do this in all of our food choices.