Loblaw reinstates ‘T’ symbol as Canada-U.S. trade war escalates

Loblaw Companies is reinstating shelf labels identifying U.S.-sourced products affected by counter-tariffs. 

The return of the “T” symbol across the food and pharmacy retailer’s banners comes as Canada announces dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs against the U.S., effective Sept. 8.

After trade negotiations collapsed last week, U.S. President Donald Trump made good on his promise to impose 50% tariffs on billions of dollars in Canadian exports.

The levies came into effect on Saturday (Aug. 22).

Per Bank, president and CEO of Loblaw, said in a LinkedIn post that tariffs will “once again affect businesses, supply chains and the prices Canadians see on some products.”

“That is why we are reinstating our ‘T’ symbol on products sourced directly from the U.S. that are affected by tariffs. We will also continue to make Canadian-made and prepared products easier to find through the maple symbol in our stores,” Bank said. “We are entering this period in a stronger position than before. Over the past year, our teams have shifted sourcing from the U.S. to Canada and other markets wherever possible and welcomed hundreds of new small Canadian suppliers onto our shelves.”

Bank noted that Loblaw will “not benefit from tariffs.”

“Where tariffs increase our cost, any resulting increase on our shelves will reflect that impact—penny for penny. At the same time, our teams will continue working to find Canadian and other alternatives that help keep prices down,” he said. 

The parent company of Loblaws, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Shoppers Drug Mart and other chains, first introduced the T symbol in March 2025 to help shoppers identify which grocery products were caught in the crosshairs of Canada’s trade war with the U.S.