Business · Companies · 9 hrs ago
Complaints about mislabelled Canadian food rose 53% this year
Canadian complaints about food labelled as Canadian rose to 441 between January and early October, up from 288 in all of 2025.
The complaints concern “maple washing,” when companies make misleading claims that food is Canadian.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recorded about 130 cases of non-compliance over country-of-origin claims this year, up from 75 in 2025.
The rise comes as the trade war has fuelled interest in buying Canadian products, while companies face challenges finding domestic ingredients and keeping prices low.
Since November 2024, the agency has found merit in 205 of 675 complaints about origin claims.
None of those complaint cases resulted in a monetary penalty, although consequences can include reprimands, fines or recommendations for prosecution in serious cases.
Food and Beverage Canada wants changes to the rules that determine which products can be labelled Canadian.
Consumer complaints about food products wrongly labelled as Canadian rose 53 per cent, from 288 in 2025 to 441 between January and early October 2026.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recorded about 130 cases of non-compliance involving country-of-origin claims this year, up 73 per cent from 75 in all of 2025.
Since November 2024, the agency has received 675 complaints about origin claims and found 205 had merit.
None of those 205 complaint cases had resulted in monetary penalties, the agency said.
Food industry representatives say sourcing ingredients domestically can be difficult, while one industry group argues the rules for Canadian-content labels should change.
- Who
- Consumers, food companies and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
- What
- Complaints about food mislabelled as Canadian rose 53 per cent. The agency also recorded an increase in origin-claim non-compliance cases.
- When
- Between January and early October 2026; the comparison is with 2025.
- Where
- Canada.
- Why
- The sources say it is unclear whether the rise reflects greater consumer scrutiny, more frequent mislabelling, or both. Industry experts cite difficulties sourcing domestically.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The agency’s count of complaints about origin claims begins after Donald Trump was elected to a second term.
The agency received 288 consumer complaints about products mislabelled as Canadian.
The agency received 441 complaints and recorded about 130 country-of-origin non-compliance cases.
The Globe and Mail published its analysis of the agency’s data.
- Complaints in 2025
- 288
- Complaints in 2026
- 441 between January and early October
- Increase in complaints
- 53 per cent
- Non-compliance cases in 2026
- About 130
- Complaints since November 2024
- 675 received; 205 found to have merit
- Monetary penalties
- None in the 205 complaint cases recorded since November 2024
What people are saying
not aware of any warning