Tariff FAQ

A tariff is a tax, or an additional charge imposed by one country on the imported or exported goods or services of another country. The U.S. government has recently imposed tariffs on certain Canadian goods and in response, the Canadian government has imposed counter tariffs on certain U.S. goods.

There is a variety of goods, including food and household products, that are subject to the tariffs. For a complete list of goods from the U.S. impacted by the Canadian counter tariffs, and for additional information regarding tariffs generally, please visit the Government of Canada website for the full list.

With respect to tariff impacted products, we are taking steps to try and reduce the overall impact on members and customers. There will be some items (example U.S. produce) that will be impacted by the tariffs and prices may increase. When the tariffs are lifted, they will be removed from the price of the product.

Our goal is to continue offering local and Canadian products whenever possible, while also providing options that our customers know and love. So, while many of our product offerings are local and proudly Canadian, some products cannot be grown or made in Canada, and as result there will continue to be foreign products on Co-op shelves.

Ultimately, our customers decide what goes in their cart.

Co-op continually assesses supply options for products that meet quality standards and competitive pricing. We will continue to strive to meet members and customers’ needs with our offering of both local and foreign products.

Co-op supports over 500 small, medium and large Canadian suppliers. We will continue to prioritize those collaborations with these and other Canadian suppliers to provide quality products to our customers and members.

All packaged food sold in Canada must be labelled with the name and address of the company responsible for the product, whether that’s the company importing the product or the manufacturer responsible for making it.

Food that is manufactured outside of Canada is required to show the name and address of the foreign manufacturer or the Canadian company that imported the product. It must clearly state that the product is “imported for” or “imported by” to indicate its origins.  Imported dairy products, eggs, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, maple and honey products, meat, wine, brandy and some processed fruits and vegetables must include the Country of Origin on the label. Other products may voluntarily include Country of Origin.

The criteria for these labels are governed by legislation and regulation and will depend on the type of product. For example, food product label requirements are regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), whereas non-food product labels are regulated by the Canadian Competition Bureau (CCB). Generally, with respect to food products:

• A Product of Canada label means that at least 98 per cent of the total direct costs of production (including major ingredients, processing and labour) to make the product were incurred in Canada.
• A Made in Canada label means that the product was made with domestic and imported ingredients and the last substantial transformation of the product also occurred in Canada.

For specific details on categories of Canadian food products as defined by the CFIA please visit their website and for non-food products please visit the Canadian Competitive Bureau website.

Yes, customers can easily find Canadian products by looking for the Canadian flag or the “Proudly Canadian” and “Proudly Western Canada” marks on our shelves which identify products that are made, manufactured, grown, processed, raised or roasted in Canada.

We will continue to work on updating the origin of all our products based on information received from our product suppliers, partners and certification agencies. While reasonable efforts will be made to ensure the accuracy of the information received, we cannot be held liable for any inaccurate information that may be provided.

Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) is the wholesale co-operative that supplies many of the products you find at your local Co-op.

“Prepared for [Company Name]” means the food product has been prepared specifically for that company, indicating that the named company is the distributor or importer.