UPDATED: Effective March 4, 2025, the Canadian government is imposing 25% tariffs on goods originating and imported from the USA. These countermeasures are effective immediately (but do not apply to goods already in transit) and will remain in place until the elimination of tariffs against Canada.
From the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (edited):
On February 1st, President Trump made the unfortunate decision to impose 25% tariffs on almost all Canadian products along with a 10% tariff on Canadian energy exports. In response, the Canadian Federal Government has released a list of products that will be subject to retaliatory tariffs. These combined actions will cause disruptions to supply chains, impact jobs and undoubtedly result in higher prices for consumers on both sides of the Canada-USA border.
Village Food Markets is member of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers. We are proudly Canadian and have always supported and continue to support Canadian products. Buying local island-made and provincial BC-made is ingrained into our business model and that of every independent grocer across Canada.
Independent grocers cannot verify what is Canadian or not ourselves, but we recognize and will signal the established regulatory definitions of what constitutes “Made in Canada” and “Product of Canada” products, the main difference of which is the percentage of Canadian content:
Product of Canada
At least 98% of the costs of ingredients, processing, production or manufacturing has to be Canadian.
Made in Canada
Only 51% of the costs of processing, production or manufacturing has to be Canadian. Ingredients may be imported.
We are in the process of posting Canadian flags alongside Canadian products, as well as featuring them on our socials, website and newsletter, as we already do with local Vancouver Island products. If you haven’t already, please visit and stay tuned to our Love Local features.
Please also consider…
Many companies that are well-known to be American can, in fact, be using Canadian ingredients/products and also be manufacturing/processing them in Canada.
- Kraft-Heinz is the largest purchaser of Ontario tomatoes and employs over 1000 people at its Quebec processing plant.
- Pepsi-Frito Lay uses Canadian potatoes and employs 10,000 Canadians across four provinces at its plants in Alberta, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec.
Produce (fruits and vegetables we cannot grow locally, especially in winter) from Mexico or South America may be shipped to the USA, where it is cleaned, cooled, packed and then shipped onwards to Canada. It may be considered an import from the USA.
Don’t forget about all the other great food products from our worldwide trading partners. We also stock many items from independent food producers in the European Union and Asian markets. We invite you to read product labels in detail and purchase according to your needs and beliefs.
Thanks for your support. ❤️ 🇨🇦