Majority of Canadians interested in switching to locally made grocery products: survey
With the fate of their finances in the hands of the U.S. and Canadian governments, consumers are looking to control what they can by “voting with their wallets,” said Field Agent.
The shopper research company released a new survey Thursday (Feb. 6) that indicates the “Buy Canadian” trend could have significant impacts on the retail and CPG industries.
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When grocery shopping, 90% of respondents said they would switch to a Canadian brand where possible, while 70% would buy products from countries other than the U.S., such as Europe or Japan.
Eighty eight per cent of shoppers would purchase a grocery product promoted as being “made in Canada.”
More than half (56%) said they would stop buying certain grocery products altogether if there was no Canadian alternative, while 11% plan to continue to buy their favourite products regardless of the tariffs.
Twenty eight per cent said they would no longer shop at Amazon and 40% said they would not eat at U.S.-based restaurant chains.
Field Agent said the potential for upheaval in the industry is significant, and “supply chains will need to adjust as velocities on U.S. products slow and Canadian products pick up speed.”
"We need to find a balance," said Jeff Doucette, general manager of Field Agent Canada, in a release. "Having an 'all or nothing' approach to U.S. products will have impacts on the hundreds of thousands of Canadians that rely on U.S. companies to support their families. There is no clear "right" or "wrong", but it will be fascinating to see how this inflexion point affects the Canadian retail, packaged goods and foodservice industries in the weeks and months to come."
