CFIA says it’s handed out $47K in fines for ‘misleading’ Product of Canada labels

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it’s handed out $47,000 in fines since last April over “misleading” Product of Canada labels.

The agency revealed the figure in a statement this week as support for the Buy Canadian movement continues to see consumers prioritizing domestically sourced goods and services, and even domestic travel destinations that support the local economy amid U.S. tariffs and threats of annexation by U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Canadians have been clear that they want to support Canadian businesses and buy Canadian products. Consumers deserve origin labels they can trust so they can make informed choices,” the CFIA said in its Monday statement.

“Accurate origin labelling creates a fair marketplace that benefits both consumers and businesses.”

Since April 1, 2025, the following businesses have been fined:

• 1000717809 Ontario Limited (Fortinos Etobicoke) received a $10,000 penalty.
• Fresh in The City Inc. in Toronto received a $7,000 penalty.
• Meatex Farms Ltd. in Edmonton received a $10,000 penalty.
• Oxford Frozen Foods Inc. in Oxford, N.S., received a $10,000 penalty.
• Real Canadian Superstore in Toronto received a $10,000 penalty.

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“Food businesses are responsible for ensuring that all food products they sell, whether made in Canada or imported, meet Canada’s legislative requirements,” the agency said

“The CFIA takes labelling issues seriously and is directly addressing the growing concern with Canadian food businesses over inaccurate and misleading origin claims. In addition to responding to complaints, we conduct inspections to verify origin claims on labels and advertisements, including in-store signage.”

A Loblaw spokesperson told Global News last month the Real Canadian Superstore fine was issued due to an in-store retail display with maple leaf advertising decals placed next to a product information tag for products not originating from Canada.

“We take our labelling and signage responsibilities seriously and are committed to meeting applicable requirements. With thousands of products in our stores, many of which are sourced from different countries regions throughout the year, information can change quickly. While we work hard to keep everything up to date, there are times when signage may not be refreshed as quickly as inventory is replenished,” they said.

“We have processes in place to support accuracy, but like any retail environment, there is still the potential for human error. That’s why we’re continuing to strengthen our processes. We’re sorry for any confusion this may have caused. If something doesn’t look right, we encourage customers to let us know so we can correct it as quickly as possible.”

Last March, at the start of the trade war, the CFIA said it was tracking a rise in complaints about items that may have been mislabelled or had other missing details about the origin of products or ingredients.

A fine of $10,000 for a business is considered a “very serious” violation, according to the CFIA’s administrative monetary penalties list, which includes violations “committed by persons or companies in the course of business or for financial gain, the penalty amounts may be adjusted up or down, depending upon the total gravity value.”