Canadians on the fence about ‘Product of Canada’ rules: Poll

For the fourth time in two years, Canadians surveyed are split on the idea of loosening the rules to allow imported ingredients in “Product of Canada” items.

According to the Ekos study, commissioned by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 57% of Canadians are OK with an exemption for sugar; 37% were opposed; 6% didn’t respond.

With so few products qualifying to use the label—98% of ingredients found in “Product of Canada” items have to be Canadian—farmers and food processors are recommending the threshold be set at 85% to allow for imported items such as sugar, flavourings or spices.

The survey results are similar to the findings of three other surveys or focus groups commissioned by Agriculture Canada or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency since the labelling rule was introduced in 2009.

The poll was conducted in October 2010, and 2,053 Canadians were surveyed.