Shoppers at a retail location in Toronto have raised concerns about the labelling of fresh produce, with reports indicating discrepancies between shelf labels and product packaging.
At a Summerhill Market store in the Annex, some items labelled "Product of Canada" were found to have packaging indicating origin from other countries. Reports first emerged in February, when a shopper shared images suggesting parsley labelled as Canadian was sourced from Texas, U.S. While this specific claim was not independently verified, a visit to the Bathurst Street location confirmed instances of inconsistent labelling.
Bell peppers displayed shelf labels stating "Product of Canada," while packaging identified the origin as Mexico. Reports of such discrepancies have so far been limited to the Bathurst Street store.
A store representative indicated that the issue was related to shelf signage rather than product misrepresentation. "To clarify, this situation was the result of a temporary shelf signage error rather than a product misrepresentation," said Bart Bowler, manager of the Bathurst Street location.
The retailer sources produce from Canada, the United States, Mexico, and other regions, and the origin can change depending on incoming shipments. "Our store receives fresh produce daily from Canada, the United States, Mexico, and other regions, and for certain high-volume items, such as bell peppers and fresh herbs, the country of origin can change when new shipments arrive from different suppliers."
The store stated that corrections were made after the issue was identified. "Accurate product labelling is important to us, and we make every effort to ensure shelf information reflects the correct country of origin," Bowler said.
In Canada, product labelling is regulated at the federal level. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency requires retailers to meet specific criteria when labelling items as "Product of Canada."
Labelling accuracy has been under scrutiny in the market. Earlier this year, a retail chain in Toronto was fined US$7,400 for incorrectly labelling products as Canadian at one of its locations.
Source: blogTO
