Loblaw brings back tariff produce labels amid trade war

A shopper browses produce at a Loblaw Cos. grocery store in Toronto on April 30, 2019. Photo by Cole Burston/Bloomberg

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Loblaw Cos. Ltd. will reintroduce the country-of-origin labelling in its fresh produce aisles, just weeks after dropping them from displays, as consumers increasingly look to “buy Canadian” amid a trade war with the United States.

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The grocery retailer said the move is to make it easier for customers who want to support Canadian farmers, producers and businesses.

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“As Canada enters another period of trade uncertainty with the United States, we are once again taking steps to give customers clear information about products affected by tariffs and make Canadian products easier to identify,” Loblaw said in an email statement on Wednesday.

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The company will start reinstating the “T” symbol on shelf labels for products sourced directly from the U.S. that are affected by tariffs. It said customers will begin to see the symbol appear as affected products are identified and shelf labels are updated.

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Loblaw said it will also continue using the maple leaf symbol in stores to help customers identify Canadian-made and prepared products.

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“Supporting Canadian suppliers can further strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce our exposure to some international disruptions,” it said.

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The retailer started adding danglers and the Canadian flag on all products prepared in Canada in late Feb. 2025 in response to costumers seeking to identify and “buy Canadian” instead of buying U.S. imports.

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It first introduced the “T” symbol (which stands for tariffs) in the first half of 2025 to identify U.S. products directly subject to retaliatory tariffs, which impacts their price. Loblaw chief executive Per Bank at the time said the initiative is unique to Loblaw.

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During a company earnings call in July 2025, the CEO said sales of products labelled with the “T” symbol in-store have declined by more than 15 per cent in its first few weeks, with the trend accelerating.

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“It has been successful on several levels, as intended, to help our customers by clearly identifying tariff items, supporting Canada and saving money behind the scenes,” he said on July 24, 2025, adding that it is also incentivizing suppliers to mitigate the tariff impact, to avoid the T label designations.

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It did not say when the initiative was previously dropped from stores.

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Meanwhile, Metro Inc. said certifications are featured across its grocery stores and pharmacy networks, which make it easier for customers to identify and choose local products.

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“For many years, we have been committed to identifying and promoting local products across our stores,” Metro said in an email statement on Wednesday.

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In Ontario, this includes Metro’s “Locally Sourced” program and Food Basics’ “We Love Local” program, it said. In Québec, the retailer highlights local products through the Aliments du Québec certification program and Les Produits du Québec certification for non-food products. The two provinces have regulations that mandate certain types of labelling transparency.