Another week, another recall of product imported to Canada and/or the United States. That’s the way things seem to be going lately.
Toys covered in lead paint, pet food adulterated with toxic material and spinach contaminated with E. coli are recent symptoms of a market malaise that is eroding consumer confidence in the safety of many foreign-made or foreign-grown products.
Buying Canadian might seem to be a safeguard but it isn’t always easy to tell domestic product from foreign. Labels, when there are any, can be misleading.
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The Canadian Federation of Agriculture has been researching the possibility of a voluntarily applied “Canadian Grown” label for several years. In an August News release
news, CFA president Bob Friesen reminded us of the issue. He pointed to several surveys on the topic, among them a 2007 version.
Not surprisingly, support for accurate made-in-Canada labels was high, and one of the main reasons given for a positive response was a desire to support Canadian farmers and food production.
The survey, as posted on the CFA website (www.cfa-fca.ca), showed 95 percent of consumers surveyed would prefer to buy Canadian-grown product that is competitively priced. Those last two words are the kickers, aren’t they?
“All things being equal, I would prefer to buy Canadian produce whenever possible,” was the wording of one survey question. In others, “produce” was swapped with “meat and poultry” and with “grains and grain products.”
In all cases, there was agreement with those statements of 90 percent or better.
“All things being equal ….” Including price? Many foreign imports are cheap compared to domestic goods.
However, the survey also said that 46 to 50 percent of consumers are willing to pay premiums for labelled fruits, vegetables, poultry, beef, pork and grain products. And 73 percent said they are willing to pay more of a premium if it would go to farmers.
The latter results are encouraging, even heartwarming, for those involved in the production of Canada’s food.
But are they true? Would consumers be willing to pay more for guaranteed Canadian product when standing at the till with their wallets open?
The CFA says it plans to investigate. That seems like a good idea.
A similar study was recently released in the United States (www.zogby.com).
Guess what? Some 70 percent of food shoppers said they are willing to pay more for produce, poultry, meat, seafood and other foods produced in the United States.
