On-again, off-again U.S. tariffs have some Okotoks shoppers taking a closer look at what goes into their grocery cart.
Rory Mackay, manager of Save-on-Foods in Okotoks, said customers began asking questions as soon as U.S. President Donald Trump announced the possibility of tariffs towards the end of January.
“The thing we’ve seen so far is a shift towards customers wanting to know, a lot more, what’s Canadian,” Mackay said.
Consumers ask about the different labels they see on products, he said.
A 'Made in Canada' label means at least 51 per cent of the ingredients come from Canada, and a 'Product of Canada' label means a product is made up of at least 98 per cent domestic ingredients, he said.
Mackay said there hasn’t been a noticeable change in sales trends over the last month, nor any changes in suppliers at the Canadian-owned grocery store.
“We source as much as we can (from Canada),” he said. “As a company, it’s usually Canada first.”
Sobeys is another Canadian-owned grocery chain, with local owners at the store in Okotoks.
Owner-operator Dave Gilbert said he’s noticed more people leaning towards Canadian products.
“Customers are definitely scrutinizing things more,” Gilbert said. “They want to know where it’s coming from.”
The store is placing flags next to Canadian products, but not all items, like fruit and vegetables, can be sourced from north of the border, he said.
“We’re going to do our best to make sure our customers are aware of local choices,” he said.
"In a lot of cases, people didn't understand how much actual food production and manufacturing we have already in Canada."
Whether tariffs are imposed or not, Gilbert said he believes people will continue to think about their purchases.
“There’s been a shift,” he said. “This is the number one thing people are concerned about.”
Tariffs against Canadian exports to the United States took effect on March 4, but on March 6 Trump paused tariffs on goods covered by the free trade agreement between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
