Don’t be fooled by the Maple Leaf in the fancy packaging!

RedLeafHow many times have you looked at a product in a store, seen that wonderful red maple leaf on the packaging and picked up that item thinking you’re buying a Made in Canada product?

I’ve done it many times myself, but I’ve been learning more and more since making the decision to start www.FindCanadianMade.ca about how deceptive some companies are in the promotion of their products.

We totally understand that a company needs to be profitable to stay in business and needs to source components for their products wherever they can to keep themselves competitive in global markets.  What we really take offense to is companies that use the red Maple Leaf as a means to trick customers into thinking they are buying Made In Canada products when in fact other than having a Canadian address, they are simply a wholesaler or distributor of foreign made products.

Yesterday while personally browsing the aisles of a big box store (with a very Canadian name), I came across fishing lures with a Canadian Flag design which mimics the world famous Eppinger DareDevle red & white lures that’s in everyone’s tackle box.  I just had to have one until I realized that it was not a Canadian company that was selling it, nor was it even made in the Americas!  Just because it has the Maple Leaf on it, you can’t assume it is Canadian.   Right next to this item on the shelf were some very nice looking packages of lures similar to the Mepps line of lures (some of which are Canadian Made).  The packaging showed a website ending in .ca – very Canadian, and beside a nice sized red Maple Leaf – a tagline stating ‘A Product of ****** Tackle Company’.   This particular company after doing some online research, and we had to do some digging, found out they are an American mail order company with exclusive rights to several countries to sell their products, but none are made in the USA or Canada.  They are all overseas produced, purchased by the thousands and repackaged into the blister packs geared for each country they sell in.  They also have shelf space in some of the largest big box stores.  If it doesn’t say ‘Made in Canada’ or ‘Product of Canada’ on the package – don’t be fooled by the fancy packaging with the Maple Leaf.

Technically what they are doing does not contravene Competition Bureau standards for packaging, but it does seriously seem pretty unethical and very misleading.  Almost had me fooled.  Don’t you be.


May 30, 2014

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