Loblaw to restore country-of-origin, countertariff labels amid renewed ‘Buy Canadian’ push
Loblaw is reinstating country-of-origin and 'T' (tariff) labels on products in response to consumer demand for 'Buy Canadian' goods amid renewed trade tensions with the U.S. This move follows a period where such labels were removed after previous trade disputes cooled.
Why it matters
The decision highlights how consumer sentiment and geopolitical trade friction directly influence retail labeling and supply chain transparency.
Shoppers browse goods in the produce section of a Loblaws in Toronto. Chris Young/The Canadian Press
At a Loblaws grocery store in Toronto on Tuesday, Matthew Avenins and his girlfriend Sarah Baldwin took care to select produce from Canada.
Keeping their dollars at home is their way of protesting, Mr. Avenins said, a practice they have pursued since early 2025, when U.S. President Donald Trump launched his trade war against Canada.
“The more that we can support our own economy, the better. The less reliant we are on the U.S., the better off we’re going to be,” he said at the Loblaws on Dupont Street in the city’s west end.
The couple also abandoned their March travel plans to attend a music festival in Houston, to further avoid supporting the U.S.
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