“Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada” are not the same claim — and the gap between them is where mislabelled honey slips through. Here is what each one legally means, and why “Canada No. 1” can never appear on imported honey.
The CBF met with Jean Guy Fogeron at the CFIA, and one side topic came up when our directors raised suspect honey being sold on the east coast well below a reasonable price for Canada, yet carrying a “Made in Canada” label. It was clear this honey was not labelled correctly, and the CFIA will be looking into it. We produced a poster explaining the difference for use in your marketing and honey house.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regulates origin claims on food labels, distinguishing between “Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada”. Understanding the distinction matters, because studies show widespread confusion between the two.
Product of Canada
This claim carries a very high standard. It signifies that all or virtually all major ingredients (at least 98%), processing and labour used to make the food product are Canadian — the food is overwhelmingly Canadian in origin, with any non-Canadian material being negligible. Canadian honey graded under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) must be marked “Product of Canada” or “Canadian Honey”. The claim “Canadian” is treated the same as “Product of Canada” and must meet the same criteria.
Made in Canada
This claim indicates that the last substantial transformation of the product occurred in Canada, which allows for imported ingredients. When it is used, a qualifying statement is mandatory to specify whether the product is made from imported ingredients or a combination of imported and domestic ingredients — for example, “Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients” or “Made in Canada from imported ingredients”. A “Made in Canada” product can therefore contain far more foreign content than a “Product of Canada” item. Consumer surveys reveal that many Canadians incorrectly assume “Made in Canada” implies mostly Canadian ingredients, associating it with food safety and quality without realising it can be made with mostly imported components.
Using “Canada No. 1”
“Canada No. 1” is one of the three grade names designated specifically for honey produced in Canada and graded under the SFCR; the others are “Canada No. 2” and “Canada No. 3”. These grade names are required on the label of all honey that is exported, imported or traded interprovincially and meets the requirements in the Canadian Grade Compendium. Imported honey cannot be referred to as “Canada No. 1”: imported honey, and blends of imported and Canadian honey, have their own grade names — “No. 1”, “No. 2” and “No. 3”. Combining a country-of-origin declaration with a grade is not permitted, so a statement like “Product of Canada No. 1” is not allowed. Honey that does not meet grade requirements for interprovincial trade may be labelled “Substandard”, but this designation does not exist for imported honey.
In summary
“Product of Canada” signifies near-total Canadian origin. “Made in Canada” indicates only that the final processing occurred in Canada, and allows imported ingredients with a mandatory qualifying statement. “Canada No. 1” is a top-tier grade designation exclusively for honey produced within Canada.