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On a Canadian discussion board, as the boycott of American products continues, users have been debating how to spot “truly Canadian” goods. The popular pancake mix “Pearl Milling Company” was labeled “Product of Canada,” but it turned out to be a brand owned by U.S. giant PepsiCo, sparking widespread distrust of product labeling. Commenters shared the difference between the “Made in Canada” and “Product of Canada” standards, along with tips on genuinely domestic alternatives.
Looking for Canadian-made products
Pearl Milling is a Canadian company. I've been using it since the tariff war started. Tastes just as good. So here we are again, flipping over boxes checking for 'Product of USA.'
Pearl Milling is a Canadian company. I've been using it since the tariff war started. Tastes just as good. So here we are again, flipping over boxes checking for 'Product of USA.'
Learned a lot from this thread, thanks everyone. So you're saying a product can say 'Product of Canada' and still be owned by a US company? How are Canadians supposed to tell the difference??
There's a site called Madeinca.ca that does pretty thorough research for you — just type in the product name. It doesn't cover everything, but someone else in the thread also posted a good method for looking things up yourself.
Honestly, I think the best move is to just not buy this kind of product at all. Buy Canadian flour made from Canadian wheat and make your own pancakes instead of this ultra-processed stuff.
Pearl Milling Company is a PepsiCo brand, so I don't think it's especially 'Canadian' compared to other brands. No Name and President's Choice are Loblaws' private labels, so those are arguably more of a Canadian company (even if the actual manufacturer might be American).
At least they have a plant in Canada and employ Canadians, I'd think.
Took this photo at No Frills today. Pearl Milling was the only one labeled 'Product of Canada' — every other brand said 'Product of USA.'
Pearl Milling Company's products are literally just Aunt Jemima with a new name.
Huh, I looked into it a bit. Wait, seriously?? 'Product of Canada' doesn't mean what we all thought it meant. I think we need a new rule — 'Product of Canada' should have to mean 'Canadian company.' Thanks everyone for the info, this genuinely helped!
Googled this real quick, hope it helps with your choices. 'Made in Canada' means at least 51% of the production cost was incurred in Canada and the last substantial transformation happened here. 'Product of Canada,' on the other hand, requires that 98% of the ingredients and processing be Canadian.
Pancake mix is easy to make ahead yourself. Just buy local ingredients and mix them together.
Agreed on that. But now is the 'Product of Canada' flour I buy actually Canadian? I'm starting to realize that just because it says 'Product of Canada' doesn't mean the profits are actually going to Canada…
Is Bulk Barn a safe bet?
Found flour at my local Save-On from a mill about 100km away. There's also a store where you can get flour from another mill within 200km. If you're serious about going local, it's worth hunting for stuff like this.
Habitant went downhill, it's pretty bad now — no great loss.
Agreed. If you want a genuinely Canadian soup brand, check out Sprague. It's fairly easy to find. You might have to check a few stores, but more and more of them have started carrying it since all this started.
There's also Farine Five Roses, out of Montreal.
'Product of Canada' just means 'made in Canada,' nothing more. By that definition, even Pepsi counts as 'Product of Canada' — the Pepsi sold here is made at a Canadian plant, but that plant is owned by PepsiCo.
So that just means part of the process happened in Canada. For Canadians who actually want to buy something where the packaging, manufacturing, growing, and shipping are all done entirely in Canada, there's no way to know that from the label.
Agreed. But finding out the profits are actually flowing to the US even though the package says 'Product of Canada'? That's a real 'wait, what?' moment.
Thanks for the info. It's disappointing that some grocery stores are still giving American products such prime shelf space.
It varies by product, so you just have to read the label. Same with Shoppers' Life Brand — some items are made in Canada (the parent company, Loblaws, is Canadian), while others are made in the US or elsewhere.
Wait, are No Name and President's Choice made in America?
At the end of the day, it's just rich people who want to Americanize everything lining their pockets.
Went to No Frills today. Everything except Pearl Milling was labeled 'Product of Canada.' One said 'Packaged in Canada,' but it still said 'Product of USA' too.
We need a new label. It should show 'who actually profits from this product.'
Right, whether it's a Canadian billionaire profiting or an American one.
Can't speak for all Canadians, but personally, if I know something's Canadian-made, I'll pay a bit more for it.
I think that's fair. I'm not judging anyone whose budget is tight and price has to come first. But if it's the same price, or just a few cents difference, I'd hope people choose Canadian.
Let's all just say it together: 'you buy what you can afford.' Not everyone has the wiggle room to pay extra for Canadian products.
Nice, I like that you're actually doing something about it.
You wrote 'everything except Pearl Milling was Product of Canada' — didn't you mean 'Product of USA'?
Yes! Oops, I got it backwards. Everything except Pearl Milling was 'Product of USA.' Thanks for the correction!
Bulk Barn is a Canadian company, but you have to check to know where the actual product comes from. They used to label country of origin — not sure if they still do.
Is the PC brand an American company, or just American-made?
Sorry, but I think that's just something she has to put up with.
My girlfriend works at a grocery store and this whole thing is driving her up the wall. It's already a tough, thankless job. If people want to boycott American products, they can just read the label — flipping every box over on the shelf doesn't accomplish anything.
Who's doing that — customers, or employees?
Miss the days when Pearl Milling was still Aunt Jemima.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Lemmy c/canada) thread “Sovereignty Shopping.”
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