Through marketplace monitoring, targeted sampling and label verification during the 2024-2025 fiscal year, CFIA prevented more than 150,000 kg of misrepresented food from being sold in Canada. The foods’ removal, voluntary destruction, or relabelling were the result of the agency’s ongoing work to prevent food fraud.
As CFIA reports in its Food Fraud Annual Report 2024 to 2025, the agency’s marketplace monitoring, focused on fresh meat and tea, found both to be 100% satisfactory. However, its targeted sampling at high-risk domestic processors, importers, or retailers found lower compliance rates, with only 86% of the results being satisfactory (in regulatory compliance). Specifically tested were:
- Olive oil: 67% satisfactory (57 of 85)
- Honey: 81% satisfactory (66 of 81)
- Grated hard cheese: 84% satisfactory (31 of 37)
- Other expensive oils: 86% satisfactory (49 of 57)
- Fruit juice: 88% satisfactory (151of 172)
- Fish: 90% satisfactory (63 of 70 samples tested)
- Meat: 94% satisfactory (89 of 95)
- Maple syrup: 100% satisfactory (43 of 43)
In conducting basic label verifications and net quantity verifications to identify potential misrepresentation, CFIA found 77% (109 of 141) of the labels to be in compliance with regulatory requirements. Common noncompliances included omitting country of origin, incorrect common name, mandatory information missing or not shown in both official languages, and infractions in the Nutrition Facts table. Of the 221 items checked for net quantity verification, 27 (12%) were found to be noncompliant, with fish (16%) and meat (8%) having the highest rates of noncompliance.
To show why it is critical to focus on and take action against food fraud, CFIA provided examples of impacts on consumers:
- Fish that was labelled as Patagonian toothfish (which sells for about $41.70 per kg in Canada) was actually Antarctic toothfish (selling for about $23.17 per kg). By preventing this misrepresented food from entering the marketplace, consumers were protected from paying nearly $19 per kg more for a lower‑value fish.
- A beef sirloin tip roast sells for about $30 per kg. If a 2kg package priced at $60 is underweight by 1% (0.020 kg), the consumer loses $0.60 on that purchase. Canadian consumers purchase an estimated 16 million kg of this cut annually, equally $160,000 in lost purchasing power per year.
With the increased popularity of “Buy Canadian” in 2025 leading to increased consumer concerns about false or misleading origin claims, complaints to CFIA increased from 1 or 2 per month to 25 in February and 33 in March. As a result, the CFIA followed up on all complaints; took action when non-compliance was found; issued a notice to remind industry of the importance of accurate use of Product of Canada, Made in Canada and other origin claims; and published a notice of fines that were imposed on a company that declared crabs imported from the US as a Product of Canada.
In addition to the removal, voluntary destruction or recall, or relabelling of food found to be misrepresented, the agency issued 13 letters of non-compliance, two notices of violation with warning, six notices of violation with penalties, and inspection reports with requests for corrective action.
CFIA has been conducting and reporting on its food fraud surveillance since 2018, beginning with honey and expanding to sample and test for authenticity and misrepresentation of various foods since. With the continued emergence of food fraud, both within Canada and internationally, and its impact on consumers, CFIA is focused on continuing its food fraud initiative activities and following up on cases of non-compliance with applicable enforcement.
Not only should this be seen as a warning to the industry to ensure that both your labelling and that of your suppliers is accurate and authentically reflects the food’s true nature and origin. It also shows the importance of the monitoring, as we are seeing a convergence of the need for food fraud prevention and strong supplier controls which will lead to greater consumer confidence for brands or product categories.
In summary, through marketplace monitoring, targeted sampling and label verification during the 2024-2025 fiscal year, CFIA prevented more than 150,000 kg of misrepresented food from being sold in Canada. With the continued emergence of food fraud, both within Canada and internationally, and its impact on consumers, CFIA is focused on continuing its food fraud initiative activities and following up on cases of non-compliance with applicable enforcement. This should be seen as a warning to the industry to ensure that both your labelling and that of your suppliers is accurate and authentically reflects the food’s true nature and origin.
