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Product of Canada, eh?

Fish

In Canada, imported fish are subject to the labeling requirements of the Fish Inspection Regulations maintained by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Country of origin must be declared on all imported fish product, but only on the container in which it is imported, not necessarily on the retail package. Fish that undergoes transformation (e.g. canning, smoking, salting) in Canada in a federally registered establishment can be labeled "Product of Canada."

Here are some highlights from the fish inspection regulations:

"No person shall package any fish or mark or label any container of fish in a manner that is false, misleading or deceptive."
"No person shall import into Canada or attempt to import into Canada any fish unless ... each container has a label on which the name of the country of origin is clearly identified."

The "country of origin" mark is based on the last substantial transformation the product has undergone.

What is "Substantial Transformation"? Any major processing step that changes the original nature of the fish or fish product such that the original product loses its identity and becomes a new product having a new name, character, and use. For example, cod fillets transformed to cod in batter or fresh salmon processed into canned salmon.

So, if a raw salmon were imported from the U.S. and canned in a federally registered facility in Canada, the canned salmon would be "Product of Canada." This regulation is based on the the idea that regardless of a country of origin, the raw fish intended for further processing in Canada must meet Canadian safety and quality standards.

Imported fish that has been only re-packaged or de-boned in Canada cannot be labeled "Product of Canada" because those processes are not considered substantial transformations.

The fish program does not apply the 51 percent rule that applies to such packaged goods as cheese and ready-to-use garlic.

Here are some quick facts about fish and seafood inspection in this country:

Regular shipments are tested at a rate of 5 percent. The idea that if fish are farmed together in the same water and given the same feed, a small sample will likely reflect any contamination across the entire batch.
When the CFIA encounters a company or product it hasn't seen before, the entire shipment is held and tested. If it's clean it goes on the "good" list (with 5-percent sampling). If not, it goes on the "bad" list, and all shipments after that are held and tested until four shipments in a row meet Canadian requirements. Then it's over to the "good" list (with 5-percent sampling).

The current 100-percent hold-and-test list includes:

Farmed finfish from China (hold and test for Malachite Green and Leucomalachite Green)
Farmed fish from Vietnam (hold and test for Chloramphenicol, Nitrofurans, Malachite Green and Leucomalachite Green) (without certificate; with a certificate the test frequency goes down to 5 percent)
Farmed eels and eel products from Taiwan (hold and test for Malachite Green and Leucomalachite Green)
Farmed shrimp from China (hold and test for Nitrofurans)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a 100 percent hold-and-test on farmed fish from China, and its tests check for gentian violet. (The Canadian agency does not currently perform this test)

Posted on October 24, 2007
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Comments - Share your thoughts

This type of labeling is absolutely OUTRAGEOUS! It borders on misrepresentation and in some cases, fraud by our own government. What has to be done to change the labeling act so that we can eat local produce when we think we are eating it! Also, what's wrong with giving countries like Russia and Indonesia credit for producing good fish?! Sheesh! I'm really pipped about this one! Posted by: Sue Winslow-Spragge | Oct 24, 07 07:57 PM

Your program on "product of Canada" reminds me of a similar issue with regards to French wine; I think it was back in the '70s. When is French wine French? when the label states "product of France" or when it states "produce of France". Perhaps the same distinction can be made here with Canadian produce or content. Thank you for your insightful program. Posted by: Mike Rundle | Oct 24, 07 08:02 PM

I was particularly disgusted by High Liner's interpretation of "Product of Canada." Let me say this loud and clear: I WILL NO LONGER BUY HIGH LINER PRODUCTS. Posted by: Eric Baetens | Oct 24, 07 08:13 PM

Does Canada still do any fishing? Where do our fish go? How can we support our own products with out standing around reading and translating everything for an hour or two every time we go to a store? Posted by: Barry Roberts | Oct 24, 07 09:22 PM

They were not lying. The labels were a product of Canada Posted by: Peter Marquis | Oct 24, 07 10:01 PM

In July of 04, Jenport Int. of Coquitlam BCinformed me that farmed salmon from Puerto Montt, Chile is canned in their "ultra modern" cannery in Thailand. This response came from my question as to how a can of "Deep Cove Chunk Atlantic Salmon" could come from Thailand and not the Maritimes. The labeling requirment requires that the country where the processing takes place must be on the label. Nutrition Action magazine had listed the best fish farms and it is worth a read. So, when I saw the empty docks and the Highliner plant in Lunenberg it was no surprise. My husband has grown his own garlic for the reasons you mentioned on the show. Posted by: Phyllis Erickson | Oct 24, 07 10:07 PM

I would be interested in knowing what the petroleum/carbon quotient is on a dairy product shipped from New Zealand to Canada. Some years ago, I did a modest study of the petroleum quotient of products shipped to supermarkets in Grand Forks, BC. The significance of the location was that Grand Forks was once a highly productive agricultural community in BC that is now almost entirely dormant with hundreds of acres of irrigated, proven productive lands in a 2 river delta that has been reduced to being a net importer of food products. Allow me to suggest that you do a petroleum quotient on imported products. Posted by: John Olsen | Oct 24, 07 11:25 PM

We were really disappointed by the Canadian label regulations, and we definitely won't be eating High Liner anytime soon. Posted by: Amy Eadie | Oct 25, 07 02:28 AM

Greedy people in companies and some in government are ruining the earth and its food supplies, by manipulating the public, but even if they don't eat the tampered bad quality food themselves, their friends and neighbors, relatives, children and grandchildren do, and get sick, propagating defective genes,and then overpopulate the earth...and for what! What is the point of all this greed and stupidity...what have they to gain...a half a lifespan of sickness and misery (with their money) that they have created...they're all going to go to hell for this when they die anyway, because if there was a Heaven their attitude would not qualify them for it, (or it wouldn't be Heaven if they were there) and if there is no afterlife, they still can't take their money with them...so what really is there that's so important to them? (My God, it's tough living on this planet with all the insanity that goes on amongst supposedly respectful and decent? people) Posted by: One puzzeled person | Oct 25, 07 03:32 AM

One thing' for sure, I will never again buy any High Liner fish. I really thought I was buying fish from Canada. I am a label reader for the last few years which is very very hard, because of my husband's high cholesterol. If I get confused, I just don't buy it any more. I always wondered what modified milk was and never knew. There are so many products with that in it. We're supposed to support our local farmers etc. How will we ever know for sure if we are doing that? Posted by: Linda Lemieux | Oct 25, 07 05:21 AM

I will no longer purchase anything from Captain High Liner. Labeling a product "Product of Canada" is misleading to the consumer. I'm still angry at the death of my cat due to imported catfood ingredients from China. Posted by: Ann Horne | Oct 25, 07 10:45 AM

My son, being a picky two year old, will only eat High Liner filet fishsticks. These fishsticks are NOT CHEAP at $5 per box for 14 sticks. But I figure..it's good for him..it's not the minced fish..it's the filets, Omegas..made in Canada..blah blah blah. Turns out it's all smoke and mirrors. Nice. I will never buy High Liner products again. I will never bring processed, frozen, ready to eat "food" into this house. It will be more difficult as a mother of two on a budget, but it's for my family's well being and health. This mother will be buying locally, fresh and will not be swayed by the tricks of the trade of Big Business out to make a buck on the health and welfare of our families. Posted by: Kari Lynne Haines | Oct 25, 07 11:10 AM

Watching a commercial for Cheese Whiz It says made with real Canadian cheddar. I wonder, is it real? Is it Canadian? Posted by: Darlene Gallichon | Oct 25, 07 12:58 PM

I am disgusted by the labeling issue. As someone who recently lost a family member to cancer, we all ask ourselves what could have caused a person to have two separate and very rare forms of cancer. Upon diagnosis of the second cancer, Doctors immediately asked where my relative had worked as they thought it may have been exposure to some radioactive material or chemical. Does anyone ever question our eating habits in these cases? Where would they even start? Where would we even start? We don't know what we are putting into our bodies and by the sounds of it, neither does our government. Collateral damage of sound economics. Posted by: M Tonelli | Oct 25, 07 02:51 PM

I certainly agree with the idea of buying local and I agree with accurate labeling. However, the approach in investigating and reporting this story was too conveniently incomplete and a bit over sensationalized. It was really not necessary to cast doubt on food safety, especially without looking into the quality assurance practices. As an Atlantic Canadian I am especially concerned with the focus of certain companies, namely a Maritime fish company. Due to the collapse of the Atlantic fishery, that particular company was forced to out source its core resources. Need you be reminded that the collapse of the Atlantic fishery was not from the consumption of the minute population of Nova Scotia, but from the consumption across this country and neighboring countries. The loss of one business in, say Ontario, would not be as bad for Ontario as the loss of a business in Nova Scotia would be for Nova Scotia. If, as the report suggests, government regulation is a solution, then smear government. Noone is about to stop paying taxes, but taking business to other companies is an option and a devastating one for a company and the people that rely on it for sustenance. My analysis of the report? the premise was good, the approach was unfair and incomplete. Posted by: Dan | Oct 25, 07 08:54 PM

That "Made in Canada" label is practically meaningless. I have worked in many industries during my life including trucking for the past 10 years, 5 of which have been for a large farm. I noticed another post about the label being from Canada. That may or may not be true. I have noticed that there are papermills in, what seems like, every US town and city. Most of these mills now produce specialized papers, boxboard, "cigarette paper", etc., therefore only a handful of mills will usually supply all of a certain type of paper to North America. Close to half of what I brought into Canada was paper products of some kind, being printer paper, labels, cigarette paper, scrap cardboard, etc. The same with food products. I would pick up a load of oats from the Quaker Oats factory in Iowa and drive them 16 hours to the Quaker Oats plant in Peterborough, ON. There are farms in California that supply staggering amounts of food, figures like 40-80% of world production for certain items, often supplying 40-50% of North Americas fresh fruits and vegetables. Canadian farmers have been struggling for years, most people realize that, but now, with the increase of ethanol, more corn is needed. This has driven the price of corn up more than double what it was last year. Great news for farmers? That depends on the farmer. If you are tens of millions of dollars in debt because of running a deficit for so many years, then it may enable you to stay in business for a few more years. If you, again are in debt, but raise livestock and depend on corn and other grains, you are hit by a double whammy. The price of your feed has drastically increased, but the price of your product (livestock) has decreased, since much of it is based on the Chicago stock exchange, and of course you know that the Canadian dollar has risen, therefore your livestock price has dropped. Posted by: Mike | Oct 26, 07 01:39 AM

Great story! but what about other industries, such as the beef industry. Who's to say that the beef labeled as 'Product of Canada' is actually Canadian beef. Rumour has it, it may not be. I've heard that all a beef plant in Canada has to do is make a small change to imported beef, such as remove some fat, and they can 'legally' label it is a product of Canada. Disgusting. It's time all levels of Canadian governments do something about this. If the original product is not grown/raised in Canada then it should, by law, not be labeled with 'Canada' or 'Canadian'. Posted by: Doreen | Oct 26, 07 10:47 AM

I thought I was being prudent by carefully inspecting the origin of food products I purchased. I was aware that all of the High Liner products I examined did have, in very small print on the back of the packaging, "product of China". What I was curious about though was the Cloverleaf brand of "Wildcaught" salmon that is clearly marked, "product of canada", is this really the case? Or is it farmed salmon from China? Posted by: Norm Varley | Oct 26, 07 02:44 PM

While I'm sweating bringing back an apple or the like across the Canada-US Border, OUR government let's the food packers feed us whatever from wherever. It's not really the food cos. fault, they just follow the laws that OUR MPs pass. They maximize profit as long as they aren't knowingly harming us. Total shame though. Meanwhile the MPs will dole out more subsidies and pay-offs to the fishing industry and dairy farmers of Canada, etc. while at the same time allowing the public to be deceived. Free trade is great but these issues are very predictable and competent government is supposed to deal with this. This issue will not go away now since the Canadian dollar is so high and food ingredient prices are rising much faster than "core" inflation. The food safety issue should have been top-of mind after the events since 9/11. Pet food recalls (same ingredient is used in human food btw; gluten), many e-coli recalls, lead contaminated chinese toys, on and on.... the minister of agriculture should be fired! Posted by: Totally Ridululous | Oct 27, 07 02:05 PM

I'm so outraged! I purposely bought food labeled "Product of Canada" because years back nutritionists reported that if a food product was labeled in this manner it was made in Canada and I wanted to support Canadian Producers, Farmers, & other workers! To find out that many of these food products are not actually produced in Canada & that the safety standards are not being applied, I'm insulted by the greed to which these large Corporations will go to ensure profit over my & my fellow Canadians Health, but even more angry that the labellng is an out & out lie! I too will be boycotting many of the products that are truly not made or produced in Canada and I've emailed family & friends to be aware of this injustice. This deception might be the difference between our future good health for all Canadians if it's not addressed immediately! Posted by: Melanie, Surrey BC | Oct 27, 07 04:48 PM

I am very disappointed in this labelling "product of Canada"s scam. It is a misleading trick which catches the careful consumer off guard. I would expect the minister of agriculture to stand up and be accountable and do the right thing and resign.I will not vote conservative again until this entire mess is cleaned up totally....who's on first? Posted by: Who's on first? | Nov 4, 07 09:49 PM

This is a terrific example of fear-mongering, and I for one am completely disgusted by it. Television programs are in the business of selling advertisements, and that is their main concern. So you need something that will draw the watcher in, keep them tuned to the program so that they can watch the ads. Over-sensationalizing product origins is a ridiculous and inaccurate way to get ratings. All a program like this does is allows ignorant people to feel empowered, as though now that they've watched Marketplace, they have been "enlightened" Standing around the water cooler the following week after this program was aired truly made me awestruck at how gullible and impressionable people are. Kudos to your program for being so persuasive. I feel for the people at High Liner, because one 15 minute segment on a CBC news program is likely responsible for the loss of jobs. Way to go. Posted by: sick and tired | Nov 11, 07 11:23 PM

product of Canada is absolutely right. 99% of High Liner products DO COME FROM CANADA ORIGINALLY. the fish is taken from here, shipped there, processed for low labor fees, and brought back, and people say oh well China handles their fish bad. Do they? were you ever in a Cape Breton fish plant? They are dirty, slimy and gross. Just drive by Glace Bay Wharf and you'll know what I mean. How about the fish plants in China? Absolutely spotless, workers covered head to toe in white. This is just another story to shove on the news to get people riled up over nothing Posted by: Brett Maclean | Nov 12, 07 08:07 PM

I would like to know the answer to one of the questions above: Does Canada still have a fishing industry? If so, where do the fish go? It certainly is very difficult to find them in the supermarkets. And in places like Loblaws, the fish is so exorbitantly high-priced, it is ridiculous! How can it be local? Local should be cheaper than imported. That is how we can support the local market. Posted by: Where is the Local fish? | Nov 21, 07 09:15 AM

I agree that the whole labeling situation is ridiculous. I live in N.S. and have been shocked that the signs for produce with large font say Local produce or Product of Canada and on close inspection small font on the package says Product of Mexico or Spain or Israel etc. This week in Fall River, the Product of Canada rainbow peppers had peppers in the package from Spain and Israel. Sometimes the font on the package is so small it is difficult to read. I have even had a produce manager say to me that he couldn't guarantee where a product came from , even though his labels said Locally Grown. After the e-coli spinach I have really tried to not buy produce from California but wow is it hard. This summer I worked at a vegetable/ plant market and the garlic was from China! Hardly anyone even asked much less cared. How do we change the label regulations and why are our ministers of agriculture not demanding accurate labeling in support of our farmers. We are really going to be shocked when and if accountability is ever enforced. In response to the comment about our fish plants and how we don't have our own fish anymore . The public might be more aware of the no fish issue if the labels were more accurate.ie we have fish from Chili as we don't have any left here!We need to demand some changes but so far I can't get a response from anyone, let alone any interest in changes. Posted by: Barb Lavigueur | Jan 4, 08 11:46 AM

I've been buying Captain Highliner frozen codfish for years believing it was caught in Atlantic Canada only to find the country CHINA on the package in such small print you need a magnifying glass to read it. Thanks to Marketplace NO MORE. Shame on our regulatory bodies and business for this underhanded act. Posted by: David Mc Farlane | Mar 20, 08 07:47 PM

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