Some Canadian stores are labeling US imports with a T for 'tariffs' -- and buyers are snapping up alternatives [View all]

Source: Business Insider

Apr 19, 2025, 10:32 PM ET


Some Canadian retailers aren't playing nice about US imports anymore. They've escalated from simply labeling products made in Canada to singling out American-made products with a warning label "T" for "tariffs."

Loblaw Companies Ltd., which operates about 2,400 stores across Canada, announced on March 10 that it planned to roll out the 'T' label on US-imported goods that may have been subject to a tariff-related price increase. As the warning labels have been slowly rolled out over the last month, shoppers have noticed and are buying accordingly.

An April 17 Leger poll found that 76% of Canadians have increased their purchases of locally made and sourced goods in recent weeks, representing the highest number of respondents looking to buy Canadian goods since the market research firm began tracking the behavior in mid-February.

Business Insider previously reported that Canadians have seen a surge in patriotism since President Donald Trump, in mid-March, made comments about making the 158-year-old nation the 51st US state — and that patriotism is reflected in the grocery aisle. "All the grocery stores now have Canadian and American labelled produce — and the Canadian produce is always gone," Vancouver-based shopper Isabella Zavarise told BI.

Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/canadian-stores-labeling-american-imports-consumers-responding-patriotism-trump-tariffs-2025-4