The voluntary "Made in Alberta" labelling is available for local food producers and processors. (Photo: Government of Alberta)

By David Opinko

Website showcases Made in Alberta foods as tariffs push Canadians to buy local

Feb 3, 2025 | 1:47 PM

Anybody who is looking to avoid supporting American companies in the wake of U.S. tariffs can easily find local alternatives.

MadeInAlberta.co launched in 2023 as the Alberta Food Processors Association (AFPA) and the provincial government sought to promote local items.

It features hundreds of foods and beverages including cereals, condiments, meat, dairy, pasta, prepared meals, sweets, and more.

AFPA Executive Director Bianca Parsons says there is an Albertan, or at least Canadian, product for almost anything you could find at the grocery store.

“I had someone reach out to me and say, ‘What about lettuce?’ You know what, we have lettuce in Alberta, we have some incredible vertical farms and greenhouses that are doing incredible work,” Parsons said.

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“Somebody else reached out and said, ‘What about strawberries? I’ve never seen an Alberta strawberry.’ Well, there are greenhouses that are growing strawberries.”

READ: Made in Alberta labelling now available for local foods

Made in Alberta categorizes a product as Albertan if it was grown in the province, or if the last substantial transformation of a product occurs here.

“If you’re buying coffee, for example, maybe the beans are coming in from South America, but they’re being roasted right here in Alberta, we allow them to be part of Made in Alberta,” Parsons explains.

Companies can apply to have their products added to the Made in Alberta registry, provided they meet the criteria for being local.

Parsons says some companies feature the “Made in Alberta” label, which you can see at the top of this article.

Others might use different phrasing to indicate that they are Canadian. A few examples, as provided by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, include:

• “Roasted and blended in Canada” to describe coffee since the coffee beans are always imported
• “Distilled in Canada” to describe bottled water that was distilled in Canada
• “Canned in Canada” to describe green beans that were canned in Canada
• “Refined in Canada” to describe imported cane sugar which has been refined in Canada
• “Processed in Canada” to describe a food which has been entirely processed in Canada
• “Prepared in Canada” to describe a food which has been entirely prepared in Canada
• “Packaged in Canada” to describe a food which is imported in bulk and packaged in Canada

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25 per cent tariffs on goods imported into that country and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he will enact counter-tariffs on American goods at the same rate.

Although Parsons thinks this will result in price increases, it may take a little time for them to fully come into effect.

“I don’t think we’re going to hear it on the news from yourself and then we’re going to go to our grocery stores and we’re going to see it instantly,” says Parsons. “As we all know, there’s a transition for companies, so by the time it makes it to our shelves, I think you’re going to see a little bit of a grace period for groceries, in particular.”

Parsons told Pattison Media that the federal government is working on creating a reimbursement program for some items that are subject to tariffs. Although the details have not been finalized, she says it will be for producers who cannot buy ingredients from anywhere except for the United States.

As one example, she says Canada does not grow enough hops to meet the current demand for beer, so some breweries are forced to buy them from the U.S.

She adds that the AFPA is working to develop guidelines related to tariffs, which should be on their website by the end of this week.

READ MORE: ‘No economic justification for tariffs’, says Alberta Premier Danielle Smith

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