Many businesses have lost significant amounts of money due to COVID-19. The Quebec government is asking all Quebecers to shop locally. But, how can you be sure that the product you’re buying is really from Quebec?
Food: Understanding “Designations of Origin”
You have likely seen labels at the supermarket that say, “Product of Quebec” and “Prepared in Quebec”. These are called designations of origin. There are conditions for these designations:
“Product of Quebec”
- All the major ingredients come from Quebec.
- At least 85% of the ingredients come from Quebec.
- The product was prepared and packaged in Quebec.
“Prepared in Quebec”
- The product was prepared and packaged in Quebec.
- The primary ingredients come from Quebec (if it’s possible to find enough).
These designations are protected by a trademark. So, if you buy a product with one of these labels, you can be confident that the product meets these standards.
Clothes and other consumer goods
You can sometimes tell if clothing was made in Canada by looking at the label. However, labels do not always tell you if the clothing was made in Quebec. Nothing stops you from asking the manufacturer though!
Other consumer goods must show the name of the manufacturer and the location of the manufacturer’s headquarters.
The Panier Bleu
The Panier Bleu (blue basket) is a government website that lists Quebec retail businesses and local restaurants. To register, businesses must respect the following conditions:
Restaurants:
- Deliver or offer takeout, and
- Be headquartered or be a restaurant located in Quebec.
Retail store or online shop:
- Be headquartered in Quebec, or
- Be owned by a Quebec affiliate.