iN NUMBERS: What does Made in BC or Canada actually mean?
Lots of people are still trying to shop locally. But just because something says Made in Canada or Made in B.C. doesn’t mean parts of it don’t come from the U.S. or other countries. Small, local farms and businesses are typically your best bet if you want to support the economy in your community.
Here are the numbers:
51: Per cent of the total cost of making something has to happen in Canada for it to be labeled as Made in Canada or have the Buy BC logo. The last transformation also has to happen in Canada, so if a drink is made elsewhere and bottled here that could count as Made in Canada.
98: Per cent of the product has to be Canadian for it to be a Product of Canada.
2,722: Beverages have a Buy BC logo.
1,363: Sauces, dressings and spices have the Buy BC logo.
4: Different kinds of claims can be put on a product; Made in Canada, Product of Canada, other variations like “sewn in Canada with imported fabric” or an implicit claim like a maple leaf on the packaging.
1,000,000: Dollars is the maximum flat rate penalty for an individual falsely claiming that their product is made in Canada.
15,000,000: Dollars is the maximum flat rate penalty for a company lying about where their product is made.
100: Per cent of the grapes used in wine with the BC VQA label have to be grown in B.C. although the requirement was suspended for the 2024 vintage due to crop failure.
200: Wineries in the Okanagan account for 86 per cent of the province’s vineyard acreage.
50: Kilometres is the cutoff for saying food is local, so if some apples are local to Kelowna they have to come from within 50 km of the city.
6: Apps can help you scan an item with your phone and tell you how much of the product comes from Canada. Look for them at the App Store or Google Play.
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