A compelling episode of the CBC show Marketplace broadcast last October posed an interesting question about food products. The question was, “If a food product is labelled 'Product of Canada' is it? The answer was, “Not really.”

By now most of us are aware that in today’s world, products make their way to our grocery store shelves from every corner of the earth.

Consider the fact that in 1985, 20% of food available on Canadian grocery shelves was imported but today 70% of the food we consume comes from somewhere else.

As a result, under the current guidelines, foods marked “Product of Canada” or “Made in Canada” actually may not be very Canadian at all.

So what does “Product of Canada” mean? Legally speaking, it means that at least 51% percent of its production costs were spent in Canada….until this week anyway.

On Wednesday May 21 Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the Government of Canada’s plan to modernize the federal guidelines governing use of “Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada” labels to ensure they clearly identify the Canadian content in food products and to update and redefine Canadian food content labels to better reflect the true origins of products in today’s global marketplace.

The announcement is part of the Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan, a comprehensive set of new measures aimed at establishing tougher regulation of food, health and consumer products

The timing is right. Canadian consumers are discriminating buyers when it comes to their food purchases. Eating locally or following the “100 Mile Diet” is popular not only because it addresses the environmental cost of shipping food across continents and the country but also because, in the globalized world we live in today, the idea of eating produce harvested in Canada seems a smarter and healthier choice than consuming food that's traveled halfway around the world.

As well, an increased awareness of the effects of food on our health means we are much more wary about buying food off the shelves without first reading the label. People with allergies and intolerances especially want to know what is in the food we are eating.

There are plenty of reasons to support true “Product of Canada” or “Made in Canada” labelling: for flavour or eating food that is fresher and in season; for safety reasons and more confidence that the food we eat is subject to Canadian standards and inspections; eating to support our local farmers; or trying to be more environmentally conscious.

The Government announcement that Canadian consumers will be able to make a more informed choice of the origins of their food is a good one, good news for our local agricultural community who are proud of what they grow and for the constituents who have written to me encouraging the government to implement such an initiative.

If you are interested in more information about this announcement or on any matter related to the federal government, do not hesitate to contact me at ron@cannan.ca or by calling my office at 470-5075.