Yesterday, FreshPlaza's newsletter contained a news article on AMCO Produce who were fined $210,000 this past Monday for passing off Mexican-grown vegetables as Canadian products. Below is a response from the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers Association.
Seriousness will be reviewed
The Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) is aware that AMCO Produce Inc., an OGVG licenced marketer, was before the courts March 12, 2018 answering to charges laid by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for misrepresenting the origin of vegetables in the marketplace. AMCO Produce Inc. pled guilty to three charges under the Food and Drugs Act; Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act; and Canada Agricultural Products Act.
The OGVG does not condone these actions and has been following the legal process closely. The seriousness of the convictions will be reviewed through our own internal process and it would be unfair to make any further comments on this issue without first having the opportunity to review the facts in great detail.
Great concern
This is an issue that is of great concern to greenhouse vegetable producers. We continually work hard to differentiate our products in the marketplace, and to make consumers aware of the advantages of purchasing Ontario greenhouse vegetables. Incorrectly labelling imported produce as being Ontario product not only misleads consumers, but also negates the investment that Ontario producers make every day into producing a superior product to meet consumer demands.
We will be reviewing the evidence presented in this case, and will take whatever actions that we deem appropriate to protect the sector, our producers and consumers.
Contact:
Joseph M. Sbrocchi
General Manager
Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers
Tel (+1) 519-326-260430