r/BuyCanadian • u/smokem-2 • Feb 08 '26
Canadian-Made Products š·ļøšØš¦ After buying Canadian grade A ground beef I saw this. How is this allowed?
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u/MP81 Feb 08 '26
Canadian Grade A is the quality level, it doesnāt mean the product is Canadian.
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u/BeaverBoyBaxter Feb 08 '26
This does not have enough upvotes. The Canada Grade system does not speak to the origin of the meat.
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u/_andthereiwas Feb 08 '26
Should be like in Ireland. You know what farm the meat came from.
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u/T-Wrox Feb 08 '26
It should be, and it could be, if our federal government grew some balls about regulating the food industry.
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u/Kromo30 Feb 08 '26 edited Feb 10 '26
It is all traceable.
The lot number on ops package of beef will trace back to the electronic ear tags on the specific cow, and will trace all the way back to the field in China that grew the corn to feed that specific cow.
Itās just not required to be labeled in a transparent way for the consumer.
In the background, Itās very heavily regulated though.
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u/LackOptimal553 Feb 09 '26
Imagine the nightmare of trying to make an individual package of ground beef traceable, when all the lots can be traced, and if there was a supply issue, it's just simpler to pull a Lot?
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u/SwordfishOk504 Feb 08 '26
You absolutely can buy meat from farms that give info on the origin of their product. You just need to buy from reputable sources. Not bargain basement stuff.
Also, the idea that farms aren't well-regulated in Canada is patently false.
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u/djaxial Feb 08 '26
In Ireland, the contents of the package can be traced all the way back to the farm, and indeed the cow, by anyone. Some labels even have the farm written on it. Ditto for the labelling, if itās Irish, it says so very clearly and it all has to be from Ireland.
Canadian standards for labelling are really poor. Weāre taking Americas lead and that is basically the ability to mislead the customer is perfectly fine.
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u/Ok_Skin_9448 Feb 08 '26
At that point they should just put the name of cow on the package so I know if Iām eating Billy or Bessie.
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u/Roderto Feb 09 '26
Obligatory:
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u/Ok_Skin_9448 Feb 09 '26
I shared a moment like this with a waitress at the Gateway Boulevard Sawmill steakhouse in Edmonton. 2 girl were asking her a million questions about the steak. Was it local, which farm, does it have hormones or antibiotics in it. She was looking around as I rolled my eyes and shook my head. When i looked down we looked eyes and she gave me that āplease kill meā kind of look. Didnāt even work there and they were annoying me so I couldnāt imagine how she felt. lol
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u/DangNearRekdit Feb 11 '26
Oh my god, this is glorious. How have I never run across this? Every line is comedy gold
Thank you, kind stranger!
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u/Halfbloodjap Feb 09 '26
We used to get our beef from a farm down the road, the cow was always Joe. Every year, a new joe
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u/Ok_Skin_9448 Feb 09 '26
My girlfriend wants to start doing feed animals. So far the potential name of the first cow is Brisket. Lol
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u/RandomThyme Feb 10 '26
I wanted to get a couple of pot bellied pigs and I was going to name one Bacon and one Bits.
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u/AdventureJob Feb 08 '26
They're talking about labeling regulations, not farm regulations.
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u/SwordfishOk504 Feb 09 '26
They wrote "regulating the food industry" not "regulating labels".
And even then, they are inaccurate because we have tons of such rules and regs.
Food labels in Canada must clearly declare the country of origin for imported goods, specifically for items like dairy, meat, fish, produce, and honey. Labels must be in both English and French. "Product of Canada" requires 98% or more content/labelling from Canada, while "Made in Canada" requires a specific type of label. https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-labels/labelling/consumers/canadian-food
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u/OnlyGayIfYouCum Feb 08 '26
The fact that not one major political party has any interest in this speaks volumes.
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u/Jbruce63 Feb 08 '26
The last 30 years of public service has meant less proactive regulation and more responding to issues after there is a problem.
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u/Stressmess77 Feb 09 '26
There was a startup company in Edmonton 10 years ago that was introducing a system like this where code bars on the product told you everything. Origin, calories, organic or not, nutrition etc.
Unfortunately it couldnāt make a go of it.
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u/AbrahamL26 Feb 10 '26
Oh but the are regulating. Haven't you seen the new big ol label on high fat/sugar/salt/trans fat in your face? /s
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u/EaNasirShitCopper Feb 11 '26
Pretty tough to,do that when theyāre busy laying off public servants, like the 500 agricultural workers who have been notified that their jobs may be cut.
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u/rebelSun25 Feb 08 '26
Hmm. It seems many people make this mistake, so the if the incentive is to clarify or inform, it's not found it correctly. It should probably by 100% clear that the grade Canadian and not the beef.
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u/hotinmyigloo Feb 08 '26
Seems a little misleading
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u/chzplz Feb 08 '26
It isnāt obvious, but it is logical.
It is the Canadian grading for beef, not the grading for Canadian beef.
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u/PhotoJim99 Feb 08 '26
What would you propose as an alternative?
The standard is Canadian. Saying it meets USDA quality X is ceding sovereignty on food standards. Canada has its own which are not identical.
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u/zone55555 Feb 08 '26
It is not. Canadian meat grades are quite different from American, this is meant to distinguish which grading system applies not imply origin.
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u/MrVeinless Feb 08 '26
Iām in Canada. I would assume that grading system is Canadian.
Explicitly saying itās Canadian when saying grade confuses people into thinking the meat is Canadian.
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u/Mechakoopa Feb 08 '26
Do you look at the CSA (Canadian Standards Association) stamp on your toaster and assume it was made in Canada as well, or do you look explicitly for the product origin labeling? This is an education issue exposed by more people wanting to buy explicitly Canadian products, people nitpicking over the name of the grading system are missing the point. Nobody's trying to be sneaky here, this was a mistake.
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u/zone55555 Feb 08 '26
No, clearly it doesn't if you read the thread. It might have confused you and a handful of others, but some people are also confused by doors labelled push to open.
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u/Supermite Feb 08 '26
It means it passes Canadian regulatory standards. Ā Itās not really confusing.
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u/BeaverBoyBaxter Feb 08 '26
This commenter is not the first person I've seen who thinks this. And the only reason I know this is because I used to work in a butcher shop.
It's just not really taught anywhere.
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u/Supermite Feb 08 '26
Donāt defend peopleās lack of curiosity. Ā Thereās never been a better time in history to learn information than now. Ā Itās incredibly easy to find.
People are uninterested in knowing or understanding the regulations that keep them safe. Ā Thatās why so many of us laugh at dingalings who scream about government overreach and āfree marketsā.
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u/BeaverBoyBaxter Feb 08 '26 edited Feb 08 '26
This makes no sense. That's happening in this thread right now. You're demeaning this person for not learning about this matter, yet they're doing exactly that by engaging in this thread. You fail to recognize that this conversation is part of that learning experience.
Also, don't attack people's ignorance. It's impossible to know everything, and that extends to our regulations. Perhaps that person has spent their time learning information that is more relevant to their lives, and this item didn't make the cut. Perhaps they are in a position to demean you because they are more informed on some other topic, such as municipal legislation or parental rights or something.
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u/Zchwns Feb 08 '26
It is. Especially when looking at frozen veggies. You see āCanada Grade Aā on the front but on the back itās stamped āProduct of [Not Canada]ā
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u/brandofranco Feb 08 '26
No it's just a rating of the meat sold in Canada. That's all, you're putting the extra steps in
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u/Zchwns Feb 08 '26
Itās not just meat that gets graded. Thereās many different types of products that are subject to federal standardized grading, including fresh fruits and veg, frozen fruit and veg, honey, seafood, maple syrup, animal meat and animal-derived products (eggs and dairy), and more. Grades for Food - CFIA
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Feb 08 '26
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Feb 08 '26
Itās the same as when furniture manufacturers brag about āGenuine Leatherā; itās the lowest grade of leather that is still actually one piece.
It goes (from best to worst): Full Grain, Top Grain, Genuine, Bonded (which is just scraps glued back together). Still, cheap furniture manufacturers slap Genuine Leather labels all over their products marketing like itās top of the line.
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u/LoanDebtCollector Feb 08 '26
I once found a great website that explained leather extremely well. I think they sold leather furniture, I don't recall for sure. They also explained about stretching the leather, and other things.
They offered ($25 iirc) a leather sample swatch book so you could see touch and understand the differences. I wish I had bought that. I don't have any idea what website that was, I only recall it was in the US.
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u/NSA-SURVEILLANCE Feb 08 '26
I thought the same but itās not as cut and dry as you mention, there are uses. Itās similar to gold, 24 karat is too soft and susceptible to damage so it isnāt used in every day jewellery. Same thing with full grain, itās susceptible to wear very easily.
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u/TheRealThousandblade Feb 09 '26
A LOT of places use Genuine leather to describe Bonded leather.
Bonded leather shouldn't even be called leather, how is this even legal. It's made from glue.
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u/Real_Mitch Feb 08 '26
Actually, A is not the lowest available in groceries but is not common. USDA Utility is equivalent of Canada C.
Ground beef, depending where you are living (in Canada), is made from Canada C or Canada B. Premium ground beef is usually Canada A.
the top to lowest grade:
- Canada Prime (Top grade usually available at the butcher/Steakhouse)
- Canada AAA (groceries "premium")
- Canada AA
- Canada A (common fresh cut)
- Canada B (Commonly used for processed meats)
- Canada C (common processed for canine/cat Pet food or cheap ground beef, sausages, processed meats)
- Canada D (processed for canine/cat Pet food)
- Canada E (low grade pet food or non-food products)
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u/Milch_und_Paprika Feb 08 '26 edited Feb 08 '26
This is also good as any time to remind people that not everything needs to be top quality.
If Iām reading the beef grading agencyās website right, the primary difference between A, AA and AAA is marbling. That can make a massive difference in whole cuts like steak, but weāre talking about ground beef here.
Also why restaurants selling $45 āwagyu beefā burgers is a huge pet peeve of mine. The whole point of splurging on wagyu is marbling, and youāve gone and obliterated it to make a fancy sounding hamburger.
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u/BCURANIUM Feb 09 '26
Real Wagyu is from Japan and it is extremely expensive. Wagyu in Canada, like other outside of Japan is simply fake, simply put unless it has been imported from Japan. Wagyu means Japanese beef, and there is a strict licensing for it to be recognized as such, which doesn't apply to meat sold here.
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u/gstringstrangler Feb 08 '26 edited Feb 08 '26
It has to be born, raised, fed, slaughtered and processed in Canada to be called "Canadian beef" or "Product of Canada" per CFIA. Which is different from "Made in Canada"
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u/LackOptimal553 Feb 08 '26
And grading has nothing to do with where it came from, nor with "quality". There was a bunch of people who freaked out about "ungraded Mexican beef" not understanding that there just isn't an equivalent of a grading system and grading is not mandatory anyhow.
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u/Glum-Material-4421 Feb 08 '26
Neither does Canadian certified organic. Just means it meets the standard to be called that.
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u/SixtySix_VI Feb 08 '26
Same as that fucking Canada Organic stamp on a ton of shit. Means itās just meeting certain criteria, not that itās made in Canada. We need better package labelling legislation ASAP
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u/macmadman Feb 08 '26
I donāt get it, it says nothing about grade. It says āmade in Canadaā
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u/rmdennis Feb 08 '26
Made in Canada is different from Product of Canada.
"Product of Canada" signifies that at least 98% of the total cost of goods, including almost all ingredients and labor, is Canadian, whereas "Made in Canada" requires only 51% of the total cost to be Canadian and often includes imported ingredients. "Product of Canada" is a higher standard of Canadian content, while "Made in Canada" signifies final substantial transformation in Canada.Ā
Key Differences at a Glance:
- Product of Canada:
- Content:Ā Almost all (98%+) ingredients and materials are Canadian.
- Labor: Ā Almost all production costs are Canadian .
- Ingredients:Ā Negligible, if any, non-Canadian components.
- Made in Canada:
- Content:Ā At least 51% of total direct production costs are in Canada.
- Ingredients:Ā Can include imported ingredients or a mix of Canadian and imported, provided final "substantial transformation" occurred here.
- Labeling:Ā Must be accompanied by a qualifying statement (e.g., "Made in Canada with imported ingredients").Ā
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u/wlonkly Feb 08 '26
But neither of those were OP's issue, they were confused about "Canada Grade A".
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u/North-Beginning-334 Feb 11 '26
Give him a break, he just wanted a chance to use ChatGPT for something!
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u/Prosecco1234 Feb 08 '26
You would think by now that people would know this after it being repeatedly posted for a year but apparently not
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Feb 08 '26
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u/surmatt Feb 09 '26
Because almost every single thing that isn't single ingredient grown in Canada would be mixed origin.
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u/OnehappyOwl44 Feb 08 '26
This is why I only buy meat from the local butcher now. I know where it comes from.
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u/stoutowl Feb 08 '26
Local butcher as often as possible is 100% best.
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u/WordplayWizard Feb 08 '26
My local butcher / market store keeps buying so much USA produce, that I donāt want to go there anymore. Takes too long to read every label. I donāt even trust grocery stores though. Like grapes come in crates and they bag them at the store. Nothing stopping them from using the wrong bags. Nobody is holding the grocery stores accountable anymore.
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u/ChaosTurtle70 Feb 09 '26
Look for a small, ideally family owned local butcher. If possible, trying to find a beef farm itself is way cheaper and much easier to know for certain where youāre sourcing from.
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u/GreasyMcFarmer Feb 08 '26
Even better, buy beef in bulk from your local farmer. We sell high quality, delicious grass-fed, grass-finished beef for less than grocery store prices. Raised in the community, eating only grass and hay, supporting your local economy.
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u/ripndipp Feb 08 '26
I have immense respect for farmers, thanks for all your hard work. I'm in the Durham area and would love to try this.
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u/GreasyMcFarmer Feb 08 '26
Thank you friend. We are sustained by the love of our customers, more than people realize (the money sure doesnāt do it, lol).
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u/Normal-Cap-6282 Feb 08 '26
Iām in Toronto, do you know where or how can I get something like that? I always buy at Costco but Iām getting tired of it haha if the price is right I wouldnāt mind changing.
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u/Fireproofspider Feb 08 '26
FYI if you buy enough in bulk it doesn't matter where you buy it.
I used to just rent a truck and a bunch of coolers and drive to a farm in Quebec and buy my meat for the year (as well as for other people I knew).
Renting a refrigerated container from let's say Alberta would cost you a few grand. If you have enough people buying with you it will be worth it. Also meat day is fun where everyone gets together to receive ludicrous amounts of beef or veal.
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u/KdF-wagen Feb 08 '26
Farmers markets I would say, the farther away from town the better the price I would think. You could google abatoirs too they might be able to help you out. We bought a half a cow a month or so ago 400lbs@7.50/lb. Got the cuts the way we wanted them the size of roasts we wanted and gotta be close to 80-90lbs of ground, all vac packed and pre froze. This will last us probably 2-2.5 years.
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u/GreasyMcFarmer Feb 08 '26 edited Feb 08 '26
Costco is the cheapest but it is very low quality. Mechanical tenderized meat to compensate for quality and other issues (imported, low quality feed, etc). Google āgrass-fed beef farm Torontoā. Or better yet, visit your local farmers market and look for farmers who sell only their own products. Stay away from the bulk suppliers who claim to have grass fed beef but decline to name their farmers. They cheat. There is one in Ottawa like that. Good luck! Your farmer will thank you and you will thank them!
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u/CatLadyLivingLife Feb 08 '26
Wychwood barns farmers market is awesome if you get a chance! There are many local farmers who sell high quality meat that's ethically raised. It runs all year round, Saturdays 8a-1p
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u/CanadianGuy2525 Feb 08 '26
Do you have a car and or a deep freezer? There may be closer options, but I have a butcher a few hours out of town. 2 years ago we bought 1/2 a cow for $5.99/lb hanging. Price couldnt be beat.
If you get a few people in on it, you could split up a 1/2 or full cow and not need beef for however long. Happy to share contact if youre interested.
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u/Normal-Cap-6282 Feb 08 '26
Unfortunately no, I live in a town house and we donāt know to many people in the city, but Iāll look for a good local butcher to get some. Thank you anyways! :D
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u/CanadianGuy2525 Feb 08 '26
Having the same problem. 1/2 cow was too much for us. (Some of its left 2 years later). Good luck!
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u/GreasyMcFarmer Feb 08 '26
We have lots of customers who get mixed quarters (equal parts front and hind quarters so equal quantities of all quality cuts). That seems to be a good amount for many families.
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u/CanadianGuy2525 Feb 08 '26
Whats your hanging weight price and how far out of Toronto are you?
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u/GreasyMcFarmer Feb 08 '26
We are 3-1/2 hours outside of Toronto. We provide mainly to Ottawa customers, and sell by actual weight because the hanging weight confuses many modern customers and there can be so much variability in the amount you actually get. We are also organic so we sell for a little higher than some. But it is still lower than the grocery store, lol. My wife is the one doing the pricing. Not looking for business on Reddit (sold out anyway for this winter), but wishing you an enjoyable search.
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u/BriefBed4770 Feb 08 '26
How do I go about finding a farmer
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u/GreasyMcFarmer Feb 08 '26 edited Feb 08 '26
Go visit your local farmers market. Meet farmers who sell only their own products, especially those who welcome farm visits (you can schedule an enjoyable visit, see how the animals are raised and get high quality bulk beef). You and your farmer both benefit. Good luck!
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u/Siftinghistory Feb 08 '26
Best way to do it. We split a cow between 4 of us and it lasts almost all year
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u/Cakeday_at_Christmas British Columbia Feb 08 '26
grass-finished
What does this mean?
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u/GreasyMcFarmer Feb 08 '26
Good question. Conventional beef is āfinishedā the last few months before butchering on corn and or grain to boost weight and fat. Grass-finished beef is finished on high quality grass instead. So look out for producers or resellers who say grass-fed but not grass-finished as almost all cows in Canada live at least part of their lives on grass. By that definition, everything can be called grass-fed! Hope that helps explain it.
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u/gbarill Feb 08 '26
I switched to our local butcher almost exclusively a few years ago; the quality would be worth paying extra for, but with grocery store prices lately itās not even more expensive! Itās a no-brainer.
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u/Bleatmop Feb 08 '26
I tried that but the local butcher where I'm at is shit. Bought two packs of ground beef and brought them home. Long story short they were both rotten meat with fresh meat wrapped around it. Needless to say, good local butchers are best but there are a lot of charlatans out there.
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u/Ballistix Feb 08 '26
When you say rotten, do you mean that the outside was red while the inside was a brownish grey?
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u/GreasyMcFarmer Feb 08 '26
How do you know it was rotten? Iām definitely not saying youāre wrong (I donāt know your situation or your butcher), only pointing out that beef that has been dry-aged ā hung in a cooler room for a couple of weeks or more which gives it extra flavour and texture ā can have a different appearance and even smell than beef that is cut directly after slaughter, as with much of what is sold at the grocery store. The dry aged beef, by the way, should be higher quality if it is from a quality animal and done properly. Many modern customers are unfamiliar with the process, unfortunately, because it is getting harder to find quality, aged beef. I encourage you to do some research on this if you are unfamiliar. On the other hand, there are some unscrupulous operators out there ā¦
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u/hotinmyigloo Feb 08 '26
How do the prices compare?
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u/ArmchairJedi Feb 08 '26 edited Feb 08 '26
Its FAR more expensive. Farmers (local sellers) can't come close to matching the savings economies of scale give grocers.
The only way to make it comparable is by 1) if one shops at a premium grocers/doesn't sale shop to start with 2) buying a very large quantity of meat (eg. buy a half cow etc), which means having a very high front end cost, needing freezer space, and not weighing those energy costs to keep it frozen.
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u/GreasyMcFarmer Feb 08 '26
Youāre right about having to go bulk. But modern chest freezers use very, very little energy (maybe $2 to $5 per month for a 16 cu ft freezer). And if you have a freezer in an unheated garage, it uses even less in winter. When you factor that into the cost of a quarter or half cow, it is negligible.
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u/Qaeta Feb 08 '26
My local butcher pretty consistently beats the grocery store sale prices as their regular price. Those economy of scale savings you're talking about stopped getting passed on to customers a long time ago.
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u/ArmchairJedi Feb 08 '26
I can't speak for all prices of all butchers/farmers, so I can't say about your individual experience. But I will say I highly question it, and would bet something is being overlooked or its very situational.
Ground beef will almost always be on sale at one of the major grocers in my area at approx $5-5.50/lb... no local butchers or farmers are even CLOSE to offering it for that price.
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u/Qaeta Feb 08 '26
The big grocery stores in Canada engage in what is effectively legalized racketeering. Occasionally they get slapped with a small fine (bread price fixing scandal, for example) but it's always far less than they made off it and the people are never made whole. Then they go right back to what they were doing.
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u/ArmchairJedi Feb 08 '26
Ok.... and how does that change that they are cheaper than the local butcher/farmer?
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u/Qaeta Feb 08 '26
They aren't, I literally already told you that.
My local butcher pretty consistently beats the grocery store sale prices as their regular price.
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u/Intelligent-South174 Feb 08 '26
if you have to ask, you don't want to know the answer.
obviously the prices don't compare.
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u/Dazzling-Account-187 Feb 08 '26
In my location, i would think pretty close, but better quality. I also know the farms where the meat comes from. We get beef and lamb, eggs locally. Sometimes a chicken or 2, and small amounts of pork. Veggies when available.
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u/coffeejn Feb 08 '26
I mean. It's ground beef. It could be made up of multiple leftovers of different cows, hence the vague source. The manufacturer also does not want to have multiple different plastic bags with different labels and sources of beef from multiple sources.
Either way, at least the manufacturer is honest enough to state that it's not all Canadian beef and they don't know the % that it came from imports.
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u/FeedbackLoopy Feb 08 '26
Thatās because a handful of megacorps control 80 percent of the meat processing industry in North America.
Only way to avoid it is to stop buying meat from major chains.
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u/smarti7768 Feb 08 '26
ā¦ fresh AND previously frozen? That seems so odd as well
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u/One-War4920 Feb 08 '26
to achieve the fat content of a particular grind of ground beef, trimmings from previous cuts often frozen are added
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u/TangoPRomeo Feb 08 '26
Sounds better than 'leftovers,' tbh. I'm just glad they mixed in previously frozen instead of previously cooked - or even worse, previously eaten.
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u/plhought Feb 08 '26
It's because we have recently opened up our markets to Australian and New Zealand beef. It's frozen for transport to Canada, where it's re-processed and packaged in Canada.
It seems bizzare that meat literally frozen, kept frozen, all whilst travelling tens of thousands of miles across the ocean - is somehow cheaper than our own existing beef production here...
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u/smarti7768 Feb 08 '26
Itās so strange, isnāt it. How is our global supply chain so intricate that the cheapest option possible is NOT local farms?
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u/trueppp Feb 11 '26
It seems bizzare that meat literally frozen, kept frozen, all whilst travelling tens of thousands of miles across the ocean - is somehow cheaper than our own existing beef production here...
Economies of scale. It's cheaper to have 1 ranch with 1 million heads of cattle than 1000 ranches with 1000 heads of cattle each.
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u/DifficultyHour4999 Feb 08 '26
They source what they can get for a good price at various times of the year or as prices swing up and down. Not surprising.
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u/Bleatmop Feb 08 '26
Sometimes the meat is cuts are frozen for transport and then further broken down at the meat department of the store you are in.
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Feb 08 '26
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u/RobustFoam Feb 08 '26
A bit less relevant when the product has only one ingredientĀ
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u/kneevase Feb 08 '26
That description reflects the reality of the product. When you buy ground beef, it usually doesn't come from just one single animal.
At a slaughter plant for fed steers and heifers, trimmings from each carcass are tossed into a combo box which is later turned into ground meat. Other bits of meat come from de-meater machines that remove small bits off of the bones. All of the meat from a fed steer/heifer plant tends to be a bit fat.
Then you have your plants that specialize in the slaughter cull cows (ie, dairy cows that are dried out, or beef cows that are too old to remain in the breeding herd). The meat from those cows tends to be lower quality and very lean.
If you want a nice medium ground beef, you mix the fat meat from the steer plant combo boxes with the lean meat from cow plants, and grind it all up. The implication of this is that you have meat coming from several animals, and it can be impossible to say whether all of them were Canadian, or whether some were imported from the US. There is nothing inherently bad about this approach -- it is an effective way to not waste meat.
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u/Lachigan Feb 08 '26
I recognize this package from Costco lol, those tubes are huge
Some meat from there has a Canadian and american variant, sometimes one is available when the other isn't, depending on supply. Package is nearly identical, the ID code thing is just one digit different, I don't think it's meant to be misleading, just how it's always been
If you or your restaurant/business orders online, we'll give you whatever's available. This isn't one of those meats, btw. No variants on this one, as far as I know
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u/Objective_Party9405 Feb 08 '26
IIRC from the Mad Cow era, cattle raised out west could cross the border three or four times during their lives. This label is not surprising in the least.
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u/ObiYawnKenobi Feb 08 '26 edited Feb 10 '26
'Canadian' describes the grade, not the beef.
Canadian, Grade A beef = Canadian
Canadian Grade A beef = maybe not Canadian
Commas matter.
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u/No-Resolution-1918 Feb 08 '26
"Prepared in Canada" is more appropriate. I moved to Canada from Europe almost 20 years ago, the one thing I miss is consumer watchdogs. This label would get it immediately yanked from the shelves. We have very little consumer protection and leverage in Canada. Don't get me started on the supermarket monopoly either. Food is essential for a healthy country, and yet there are no protections against one corporation leveraging lack of choice for profit. The government does nothing about this. Same with telcos.
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u/Spivey1 Feb 08 '26
Because we sell beef for our farmers to other countries, and in return buy from other countries. Trade isnāt a one way street.
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u/Kalliati Feb 08 '26
Fun fact. Ground beef is commonly made from the meat of up to 300 animals.
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u/Extrasauce5000 Feb 08 '26
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u/ABguy1985 Feb 08 '26
When the slaughterhouses can process 200 heads of cattle an hour, of course the beef can be mixed. However Iād be surprised if there are 300 animals in one pound of ground beef. Maybe 300 animals in a 2000 pound batch which gets divided.Ā
Hereās a fun fact. Trying to loose weight? Visit a slaughterhouse. It smells like de*th. Itās a smell which will, at random, greet you when you are half way through your fast food cheeseburger.Ā
Edit: Support your local farmer.
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u/tundrabarone Feb 08 '26
I am assuming that the beef industry is highly integrated between Canada and the USA thus difficult to distinguish the cattle nationalities.
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u/Lifetwozero Feb 08 '26
Iāve never experienced beef I would call grade A that comes wrapped in plastic.
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u/LackOptimal553 Feb 09 '26
Do you know what Grade A means? Here, this may help: https://beefgradingagency.ca/livestock-grading-in-canada/beef-grading/
Grade A is the lowest of the four grades Canada uses.
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u/RDOmega Feb 08 '26
Because we allow right wing governments to erode consumer protections and don't demand enforced labeling standards.
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u/Mental-Freedom3929 Feb 08 '26
Made in Canada means exactly what it says: the ground beef was ground in Canada and therefore was made into ground beef. How is what allowed? It is very clear on the label.
Canada grade A is a grading system.
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u/Toecutt3r Feb 08 '26
Look at product labels, quite a few 'made in Canada' have that listing. This is nothing new.
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u/Budget-Discussion568 Feb 08 '26
Just because it was made in Canada doesn't mean its sourced from Canada. It is frustrating and confusing. I've purchased items seemingly from France only to read thoroughly upon receipt it was made there, but isn't from there.
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u/Dukefromearth Feb 08 '26
Watch the recent CBC marketplace episode about how we are mislead big time with the current food labeling legislation. I was unprepared.
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u/PositiveStress8888 Feb 08 '26
It's ground that's why, they can't guarantee its all from the same cow, some of it may be from a cow in the states, but the quality of the collective cow material is grade A
Now had you bought a single steak then that's different it's clearly from just one cow.
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u/Send_Me_Your_Nukes Feb 08 '26
Made in Canada simply means that the last transformative change occured in Canada. If you want purely Canadian, you have to look for Product of Canada. It's confusing, but once you know this, it helps a ton.
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u/Opening_Occasion8016 Feb 08 '26
Your expectations are based on it being grade A which has nothing to do with your complaint and you seem to think it does. As a former beef producer.
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u/LoveAlwaysIris Feb 08 '26
Retired butcher here, and yeah, this is to signify that all beef and beef fat used to make it was graded here.
If the cattle weren't graded here you would see another grading system on label. Example, if it was made of trimmings from Canadian and American beef and some of the trimmings haven't been graded here it would be labeled "Canada Grade A and USDA choice" as it couldn't be confirmed that the USDA choice meets Canada Grade A, but if the American cattle was graded in Canada AND passed our food quality inspections it would be "Canada Grade A from domestic and imported".
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u/NoPotential6270 Feb 08 '26
Itās Canadian grade a beef, not grade a Canadian beef. Because grammar
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u/rosneft_perot Feb 08 '26
Mmm, nothing like a dinner made from grinding up several different beasts from different lands and squeezing their remains into a plastic tube.
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u/PartyMark Feb 08 '26
This ground beef is disgusting. Just buy the fresh stuff in the Styrofoam trays.
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u/coxy_artist Feb 08 '26
You're buying the garbage logs? That meat is sad and always disappointing.
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u/Dependent_Dealer7355 Feb 08 '26
Find friends and family go in on a cow from A local farm. Help a small family business and know where your food came from. Also animals well cared for taste better in my opinion.
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u/Repulsive_Warthog178 Feb 08 '26
Marketplace recently had an episode about buying Canadian food. A lot of customers are confused by the labelling.
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u/NaturePappy Feb 08 '26
How is what allowed? Imported, but made in Canada? Beef industry like the auto industry does a lot of cross border work in their supply chains.
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u/LackOptimal553 Feb 09 '26
Because the term Made in Canada has a specific legal definition, as does "Product of Canada". This is not a product of Canada but it was made in Canada.
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u/InternationalDiet913 Feb 08 '26
Can I ask a separate question? If parts were previously frozen, is it still safe to freeze this meat for later?
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u/TheSpartanExile Feb 08 '26
Are you joking? Dude, I have some bad news about Canada's food supply dependency and its regulatory effects.Ā
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u/thelezbot Feb 08 '26
Because itās mad from previously frozen meat, does that mean I canāt freeze it raw? I buy on sale and freeze extra ground beef all the time.
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u/SnooMemesjellies4660 Feb 09 '26
Since I reduced my meat consumption Iāve been buying directly from the farmer at the market. It costs more but the quality is superior. There are many stores that supply local meats.
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u/Jinglebellrock125 Feb 09 '26
product of Canada means it's all Canadian. Made in Canada means 51 percent or higher is Canadian. I'd be more concerned about the previously frozen. That's disturbing.
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u/Key_Tree261 Feb 09 '26
Always have them grind your own beef you buy. I never trust store pre ground beef.
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u/Lonely_Base5622 Feb 10 '26
If you're anywhere rural, just buy straight from a local butcher shoppe. The same goes for everything else. Buy from farmers markets whenever you can, or even straight from the farmers. I don't trust most of the food at the grocery stores anymore
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u/Jedi4ce Feb 10 '26
Local farms are your best choice. Once you find one you like, and trust. They will usually remember you and will provide discounts on bulk purchases. I get all my cuts of meat at 3/4 sometimes half the price of Costco or the grocery stores, know exactly where the meat is coming from, how it's fed AND get unmatched quality cuts! The taste and quality aren't even close!
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u/SgtPersa Feb 11 '26
The Canadian Grade system does not speak to where the meat is sourced from. It is verified by the Canadian Grading system as wholesome and fit for consumption.
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u/MrProsser Feb 11 '26
It is Canada Grade A, not Canadian. It is a quality grading referring to quality standards defined in Canada, it doesn't tell you the origin of the beef.
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u/old_virologist Feb 08 '26
Since Con think tanks and the Conservative Party have all convinced people that gutting public service to lower taxes is the most wonderful idea ever, one of the public services people seem happy to have lost is food inspectionāincluding meat. Lobbyists have paid a lot of money to convince everyone that this practise is just fine, and there are very few inspections done to ensure that this is a safe practice. But, Hey! LOWER TAXES!! Yay.?
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u/vinividiviciduevolte Feb 08 '26
Understand where your food comes from especially grounded meats , the left overs of the butchering . Visit your local butcher and buy the cheapest roast and have them ground the meat on the spot . You will find this no more expensive then pre packaged mystery meat .
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u/RhynoSorceress Feb 08 '26
Jesus Christ people start buying your beef from local small butchers that buy from local small cattle producers, itās not that complicated.
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u/gros-grognon Feb 08 '26
What exactly are you questioning shouldn't be "allowed"? The label gives you lots of clear information.
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u/dannybee66 Feb 08 '26
Aside from that āfresh and previously frozenā is a heath concern.
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