Shun US goods, buy local: Canadians ‘mad with America’ reshape grocery shelves
A growing consumer push to buy Canadian and boycott US products is reshaping supermarket shelves in Canada, forcing grocers to improve country-of-origin labelling and secure new sources of supply. In Ontario, the president of independent grocer Vince’s Market, Giancarlo Trimarchi, turned to social media to show customers that most produce on the shelves of his stores is Canadian after receiving…
A surge in Canadian consumers boycotting US products is causing supermarkets to prioritize local goods, according to recent reports. Independent grocer Vince’s Market president Giancarlo Trimarchi noticed a shift in customer attitudes after receiving angry emails about stocking US produce. Facing a bitter trade war with the US, Trimarchi now sources 90% of his produce from Canada, shifting to Quebec for strawberries after cutting his advertising budget.
Loblaw Cos, the country's largest food retailer, reintroduced maple leaf labels to highlight Canadian origins and introduced "T" tags to show tariff-affected products. Metro, the third-largest grocer, remains committed to local Canadian products. Canadian fresh vegetable imports from the US fell to 62.6% in July, down from 69% in 2023, while fruit imports from the US remained high.
The Canadian government is investing C$3 billion over a decade to expand greenhouses and boost domestic production. Despite this shift in consumer sentiment, some grocers like Mike Dean, who own stores in rural Ontario and Quebec, continue to source produce from countries like Spain, Brazil, and Honduras due to more diversified supply chains. Nationalism, however, may overpower economic considerations if the US-Canada relationship improves.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
