Ontario Premier Doug Ford is standing up against the food industry’s practice of misleading labeling – a gallant act. He’s particularly zeroed in on the transparency campaign against Campbell’s soup. On 14 August 2025, he issued warnings about deceptive products. He noted that many products sporting the Canadian flag are not actually made in Canada at all, misleading Canadians.
Ford’s comments came amid the Ontario government’s announcement of a $1 billion financing plan aimed at supporting businesses impacted by tariffs. He stressed the need to promote the production and consumption of local products in order to boost the economy and create more decent jobs. “Our goal is to onshore every possible product we can until they don’t have to face the tariffs, and it will create more jobs,” he stated.
U.S. tariffs have led to retaliatory tariffs from our closest trading partner, Canada. Consequently, prices for nearly 3,000 of their products have gone up. So given all of this, you’d think that Ford would have pushed Ontarians to purchase made-in-Ontario and made-in-Canada products. He argues that buying local is key to getting through today’s hurdles created by national and global trade fights.
Ford’s criticism of Campbell’s was particularly pointed. He pointed to one specific can of Campbell’s soup that had a Canadian flag on it but was made in Camden, New Jersey. “I still have to get a can of Campbell Soup that’s putting that Canadian flag on that’s not being manufactured here, misleading the people,” he remarked. He aired his astonishment at the food industry’s labeling practices, pointing out that it is offensive to consumers.
“The can, the label, the stuff inside, and you know what they put? Recipe of Canada. You think the people of Ontario are that dumb? I’m going to call you out and get one of those cans, I’m going to rip that label off,” – Doug Ford
Ford too asked Campbell’s to rethink its local production strategy on the ground in Ontario. He recommended that the company bring back production to its plant in Etobicoke. This closure had already resulted in the loss of 500 jobs. Think about returning home to your manufacturing plant Etobicoke. It’s pretty clear that reopening it means you would be creating jobs for hundreds of people you recently laid off.
Ford didn’t stop with Campbell’s. He pointed to broader trends in consumer purchasing behavior influenced by ongoing trade disputes with the United States. Support for Canadian-made products took off right away. As the President of Metro grocery stores observed, this movement towards buying Canadian is only just beginning to slow down. In an effort to fight against this trend, grocers have expanded local offerings and highlighted domestic products with point-of-sale signage in their stores.
We’ve got to change that Ford continued to push doubt on whether today’s labeling is working and said he’d be willing to legislate something different if needed. “If I have to put a Canadian flag and every other flag on every single product and legislate it until the consumer can see that you aren’t pulling the wool over their eyes,” he stated.
