N.L. businesses welcome 'buy local' campaign, but labels need to be clearer, says retail director

The push is on for residents of Newfoundland and Labrador to buy local ahead of the looming threat of U.S. tariffs.

The provincial government's buy local marketing campaign — complete with a new logo — is underway, encouraging people to buy products made locally and from within Canada. 

But figuring out which products are actually Canadian can be confusing. 

So, the Powell Group of Companies uses its own labels on the shelves of its grocery stores to point customers to products made in Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada.

"We're very proud Newfoundland and Labrador owned, operated, and managed," said John Pritchett, Powell's senior director of retail. "We've always been big on supporting local."

U.S. President Donald Trump has paused his tariff plan until March 4, but the threat is still there and Pritchett says tariffs will hit nearly everyone in some way, and force him to find alternate sources to keep the food supply chain "resilient" and affordable for consumers.

"You should feel comfortable going to the store and buying what you need," he said. "If everybody does their best … and we don't turn on each other, I think we're going to support a better Newfoundland and a better Canada."

Pritchett says his company will use the provincial government's marketing materials once they become available.

What is local? 

There are different definitions of a local product for customers to consider, said Pritchett.

For example, a mustard might be imported but also made from 100 per cent Canadian mustard seeds. 

Some products that are labelled as made in Newfoundland may not fit the criteria of a "made in Canada" or "product of Canada," said Pritchett. 

He says if 98 per cent of everything that went into a product, including its packaging and labour, and the finishing of the product happened in Canada, the product can get the official "product of Canada" label.

For items to be labelled as "made in Canada," 51 per cent or more of everything that went into the product has to be from Canada, and the finishing has to have happened in Canada, Pritchett said.

The government does checks on these labelling standards, so vendors must comply to get those labels to avoid financial penalty.

Pritchett says he's happy with the government's response to the tariff threats, but he would like the province to do more to make product origin clear on the packaging in consultation with retailers, manufacturers and farmers in the industry.

"It does take time because it is complex, and I think it's a conversation that needs to take place with government," he said.

Tariff stress on pause 

Meanwhile, at Holland Nurseries in St. John's, the threat of tariffs brought some stress to owner John Frecker. 

Most of the company's flowers come from South America, but travel through the United States.

Frecker said he was worried about a large shipment of Valentine's Day flowers being subjected to the 25 per cent tariff. 

But flowers are not on the tariff list — so far.

Now, Frecker is considering ways to bypass the United States completely and get flowers directly from South America.

"That's really complicated, and it's something we may have to work with the other local florists to see if we can all go cooperatively," said Frecker.

In the meantime, Frecker welcomes the government's buy local response.

"I think if this gets people conditioned to buy local, hear hear, all for it," said Frecker. 

Urban Market 1919 is another vendor in St. John's that sells Newfoundland and Labrador products directly from their creators. 

General manager Isabelle Quinlan says the market's goal is to bring together local businesses so the buy local campaign hits close to home.

"Whether through social media engagement or simply choosing locally sourced potatoes for dinner, every small action contributes to a larger movement in supporting and contributing to our own local economy."

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