Farm Boy is owned by Empire. Parent company of Sobeys.
Dont forget that the grocery cartel is not our friend....
this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2025
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Just FYI:
Look for “Product of Canada”— these items have at least 98% domestically sourced ingredients and production combined.
"Product of Canada" is a legally protected label. Note how the description used on the farmboy.ca website is exactly that legal definition. 👌
Our “Prepared in Canada” products are crafted in Canada with either a combination of domestic and imported ingredients or imported ingredients only.
"Prepared in Canada" is NOT a protected label other than the basic requirement of being truthful. So long as they can say with a straight face something in the product was prepared here it is legal. As such, it could entirely be US but once across the border they place boxing tape over the top flaps of the container and that label is o-tay. 🤔 There is a reason they did not use the legally protected weaker description of "Made in Canada". Because they couldn't.
“Prepared in Canada” is NOT a protected label other than the basic requirement of being truthful. So long as they can say with a straight face something in the product was prepared here it is legal. As such, it could entirely be US but once across the border they place boxing tape over the top flaps of the container and that label is o-tay. 🤔 There is a reason they did not use the legally protected weaker description of “Made in Canada”. Because they couldn’t.
This is true. However, it's entirely possible that those products are still produced under the legal definition of "Made in Canada", but their supply chains might make it difficult to say 100% that those specific products are.
I had a conversation with someone at Metro head office, and they said that while they make every effort to source domestic ingredients, sometimes they can't.
It might simply be easier for Farm Boy to list "Prepared in Canada" for those items, rather than constantly change the label as sourcing changes. Likely even more so that they are private-label, so sourcing individual ingredients likely isn't in their control. That's my guess, anyway.
It might simply be easier for Farm Boy to list “Prepared in Canada” for those items
You know what would be even easier? Not putting any label. I'd rather have no label than one that implies significant Canadian input for something consisting of "100% imported ingredients". It's also a bad look for things that are obviously imported. You see 'prepared in Canada' for something like orange juice and immediately lose all credibility with the customer standing in the aisle thinking their being duped.
You know what would be even easier? Not putting any label. I’d rather have no label than one that implies significant Canadian input for something consisting of “100% imported ingredients”.
I see where you're coming from, but I guess it depends on your threshold as a consumer.
If consumers know what "Prepared in Canada" implies (i.e. that the ingredients could be 100% imported, per their description), at least they can make a decision to support the employees who prepared the good here in Canada... or to avoid the product.
I certainly want to know either way, since it often comes down to the “lesser evil” when given only a few options.
It’s also a bad look for things that are obviously imported. You see ‘prepared in Canada’ for something like orange juice and immediately lose all credibility with the customer standing in the aisle thinking their being duped.
I don't think we're talking about imported products that are being mislabelled. We're talking about products that may (or may not) use imported ingredients to make the finished product.
Again, many of those items could very well be Made in Canada (by legal definition), so it would suck to have to avoid those, and hurt Canadian workers at the same time, if there were to be no labelling at all.
At the end of the day, as long as consumers are aware of what the label means, and those labels are used appropriately, I see no problem with it.
In an ideal world, product labels would be far more expansive and specific than what they are now. Perhaps the Buy Canadian movement will impact future labelling standards. 🤞
That's my opinion, anyway.
I don’t think we’re talking about imported products that are being mislabeled. We’re talking about products that may (or may not) use imported ingredients to make the finished product.
No, they definitely contain some imported ~~~product~~~ ingredients per the company's own definition. We're talking about products that may (or may not) contain Canadian ingredients and the fact you confused this is exactly why I pointed this stuff out in the first place. As a consumer it should raise red flags when companies do this because unless you have their marketing department on the phone telling you exactly what they mean with these non-protected statements you cannot assume anything they are leading you to believe is true.
My only concern is making sure consumers see this labeling for what it is: trying to glom onto the pro-Canadian bandwagon without meeting the only legally protected standards for labeling Canadian foods there are. Your decision as to what is worth supporting is your own, but you may think you're supporting a team of x number of employees when in actuality one guy slapping the sticker on the box itself meets their definition of 'prepared in Canada'. Meanwhile actual Products of Canada or Made in Canada foods are potentially losing out on your support.
No, they definitely contain some imported product per the company’s own definition.
Their definition says: "Prepared in Canada are products that have been entirely prepared in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients, or imported ingredients only."
They aren't importing the product, only ingredients. And the percent of imported ingredients could be a very small amount of the final product.
As a quick example from one of the items at the top of their list "Farm Boy™ Original Taralli" contains "Enriched Wheat Flour • Water • Canola Oil" and is listed as "prepared in Canada". It's possible that the wheat and canola oil are imported, but both wheat and canola oil are easily available in Canada, so it could very well be a product that's 90% made from Canadian ingredients. Even if all the ingredients were imported, the final product was made (i.e. prepared) here.
Yes, it sucks that they can't just use a Made in Canada for those items, but I'll defer to my possible explanation in my previous reply.
My only concern is making sure consumers see this labeling for what it is: trying to glom onto the pro-Canadian bandwagon without meeting the only legally protected standards for labeling Canadian foods there are. Your decision as to what is worth supporting is your own, but you may think you’re supporting a team of x number of employees when in actuality one guy slapping the sticker on the box itself meets their definition of ‘prepared in Canada’. Meanwhile actual Products of Canada or Made in Canada foods are potentially losing out on your support.
I do agree, and there is cause for concern when you have labels being misused or misinterpreted.
Public education and further standards are needed. It's pretty impressive how far we've already come in the last month, so I'm sure things will get better as the industry adapts.
My preference is still to seek out Products of Canada from Canadian brands. And as long as American ingredients and products are kept off my shopping list, I'll still be happy to support "Prepared in Canada using imported ingredients" when they are the only option.
They aren’t importing the product, only ingredients
That's what I meant. An American product, like say concentrated orange juice, gets used as an ingredient, in say bottled orange juice. I'll edit to avoid other reader's confusion.
Public education and further standards are needed. It’s pretty impressive how far we’ve already come in the last month, so I’m sure things will get better as the industry adapts.
So much this.
I wish other grocery stores with their own brands start doing this!
I wish packages were required to list where they were "prepared for" and from where they were "imported by".
Yes, I'd like to see that, too! More informed the consumer, the better (for consumers! LOL).