Buy Canadian movement on the rise at local grocery stores

by Mackenzie Read February 26, 2025 5:02 pm

CHEK News Story

Grocery stores are seeing a rise in the ‘Buy Canadian’ movement as consumers change their shopping habits amid ongoing tariff talks.

When the talk of tariffs began in January the push to buy local began.

One month later, grocery shoppers told CHEK News they are keeping Canada in mind while shopping for food.

“I think I am looking more,” shopper Coleen Noble said. “If we can buy Canadian, I think it’s better for everyone.”

Another shopper said she “definitely agrees we should shop Canadian.”

That shift in buying habits over the past few weeks has increased significantly, according to those who work at Country Grocer in Royal Oak.

“Several times a day I would say all of our staff get asked if, especially people who maybe have a hard time reading the fine print, they will come up to us with a can of something and say, ‘Can you read this for me, is it product of Canada?’” Christine Pacukiewicz, assistant store manager, said.

Pacukiewicz added there have been both Canadian and B.C. products selling faster than they did before tariff talks began.

“The B.C. lettuce flew really well,” she explained. “We had gala apples up last week and those just moved so fast. People were scooping those up left right and center, very happy to support B.C.”

This shopping movement is also being felt country-wide.

During a quarterly update call on Feb. 20, Loblaw Companies Limited President & CEO Per Bank said it’s Canadian product numbers have also increased.

“In store I don’t have last weeks number, but I have the week before and it was approximately about a 10 per cent uplift in Canadian product,” Bank said.

This is something one food industry expert said is quite significant.

“It’s not like 50 per cent, but still 10 per cent is actually quite a bit,” Sylvain Charlebois, Agri-food Analytics Lab director, said. “Food habits are hard to break but people are paying attention.”

Charlebois said the focus on knowing where your food comes was already gaining momentum over the last year, but as soon as President Donald Trump started threatening tariffs it seemed to ramp up.

He added that this movement has the potential to last, but he’s not sure if it will.

“If people are out there buying Canadian because they want to buy Canadian, that is likely long lasting. If they are just buying something because they’re against something, then I don’t think it’s going to last and we have seen that scenario play out many times before,” Charlebois said.

Grocers say they are trying to keep up with the Buy Canadian push by changing up their merchandising strategies.

During the quarterly call, Bank said Loblaws will put flags on all its products that are prepared in Canada.

“We will probably see a further uplift when it comes to that,” Bank stated.

Country Grocer has been focusing on making displays featuring all Canadian, provincial and Island-grown products.

Pacukiewicz said the stores will also be implementing a three tier flagging system for local products.

“The first tier will be Island Good products, the most local to us,” she explained.

“Then Buy B.C., there will be signage for that as well, and those are going to be items that participate and are verified by Buy B.C. Also there will be Made in Canada signage to help make it easier for shoppers to find what they are looking for.”

She added the store is doing its best to bring in as much variety of Canadian products as possible, but there are some produce items that they have to keep bringing in from the states.

“The other day we had somebody ask for Canadian pineapple, just not something that we are able to get. So obviously doing the best we can with what’s available,” Pacukiewicz said.

She further explained that there will be some produce that will be coming back into Canadian growing season, adding once it does the store will focus on bringing it in.

“You know more fruits, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Those seasons are coming and those will become more locally available,” Pacukiewicz explained.