Differentiating Canadian products from others proves to be difficult for shoppers

Many Canadians have pledged to purchase non-U.S. products in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Some consumers are finding it difficult to discern which products to buy, as a product’s “nationality” is far more complex than it’s made out to be.

Nearly every beer brand that is considered American is brewed in Canada. Budweiser has historically been considered “America’s Beer”; however, Anheuser-Busch InBev, which owns Budweiser, is a Belgian company that uses Canadian breweries to brew the iconic beer.

Several companies are oddities when it comes to their “nationality”. The A&W restaurant chain in Canada shares its name with the original American company, but since A&W sold its Canadian expansion, the two chains have been entirely separate entities for decades.

Another peculiar brand is Old Dutch potato chips, which are owned and operated out of St. Paul, Minnesota, however, Old Dutch considers itself both a Canadian, and American company in general.

Certain product markets are almost entirely dominated by American companies. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo practically own the Soft-Drink industry, but both Coke and Pepsi sold in Canada are also bottled in Canada.

One Calgary man said he’s created a hierarchy to ease his decision making on what products to buy:

1. Made in Canada by a Canadian company
2. Made in Canada by a non-US company
3. Made outside of Canada and the US
4. Made in Canada for a US company
5. Made in the US for a US company

The Made In Canada Grocery Guide is also a source of information on Canadian products.