Bottles of maple syrup are shown at a farmers' market. CanadianCoolFoods.com features thousands of items that are considered Product of Canada. (Photo: Jlobo211 | Dreamstime.com)

By David Opinko

Website highlights Product of Canada goods

Feb 21, 2025 | 10:47 AM

A recent push to buy domestic products has one website in the spotlight.

Marnie Scott is the President of CanadianCoolFoods.com, a non-profit, non-commercial listing of Canadian foods.

She started the website nearly a decade ago when doing economic development work for the Government of Canada, realizing that there did not seem to be anywhere Canadians could find a centralized list of local products.

Scott says she chose to focus on items that are considered “Product of Canada.”

“There’s numerous labeling that’s found on your food products, and there’s maple leaves on food products and all sorts of things, but Product of Canada means the product is 98% Canadian ingredients, labour and processing. So it’s almost like going to the farmers market,” says Scott.

The label “Made in Canada,” by contrast, means that at least 51 per cent of the total direct cost of producing an item was incurred in Canada.

Scott, however, says it is important to read the labels carefully as things can get more complicated than they first appear.

For example, Lay’s potato chips are “Made in Canada” and processed and packaged in Lethbridge and Taber using locally-grown potatoes, but they are owned by the American company PepsiCo.

Still, she says many people would be surprised to learn the breadth of foods that fit the definition of Product of Canada.

CanadianCoolFoods.com currently displays 4,673 foods, beverages and ingredients from 435 Canadian agri-food and agricultural companies, and 23 of those firms are based in Alberta.

She adds that this is an ever-expanding catalogue, so companies that sell Product of Canada items can contact her at contact@canadiancoolfoods.com to have them added.

The website also features lists of Canadian food and beverage companies, research and insights into Canadian foods, which places offer on-site activities or u-pick opportunities, and more.

Another site we recently featured, MadeInAlberta.co, features a similar list of provincial goods.

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