Toronto pizzeria cuts out U.S. ingredients until Americans make 'more responsible electoral decisions'
Food prof commends the effort, but says it would be hard for many restaurants to follow suit
A Toronto pizza maker says he won't use U.S. ingredients in his pies as long as Donald Trump is president.
Graham Palmateer, owner of Gram's Pizza in Toronto's west end, says he's swapped out every U.S. product in his shop's fridge and pantry for Canadian or international alternatives.
The move comes as Trump threatens to slap 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods and use "economic force" to turn Canada into the 51st state.
"I'll be avoiding American products for the foreseeable future, until our friends from the South make some more responsible electoral decisions," Palmateer told As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal.
"Everybody's been really, really supportive of the switch, and it's been very easy, actually."
'It's sending a message'
While many Canadians are reacting to Trump's threats by buying Canadian, or boycotting U.S. products, food economist Mike von Massow says this is the first he's heard of a restaurant making the switch.
"I think it's an interesting thing to do, and it's sending a message," the University of Guelph professor told CBC.
But following in Palmateer's footsteps would be a huge challenge for many restaurants, he says, because Canada is reliant on U.S. trade for certain foods.
A lot of fresh produce, he says, comes exclusively from the U.S. in the winter. So if a restaurateur wants to serve up salads full of leafy greens year-round, they'd have no choice but to buy American.
"When we as consumers decide to buy only Canadian, one of the options we have is to change what we're eating. That's more difficult to do if you're a restaurant and you have a menu," von Massow said.
So far, Palmateer says the change hasn't impacted his prices or his bottom line, though he admits his establishment "might be a peculiar case in that regard."
Gram's Pizza, after all, is very small operation with a narrow and specific menu. Pizza staples like cheese, flour and pepperoni are all easily sourced in Canada.
Palmateer says he doesn't use a lot of fresh produce out of season. He used to blend canned tomatoes from California with ones from Italy, but now he exclusively uses the latter.
He ditched beverages from Coca Cola Company for Canadian sodas Pop Shoppe and Sap Sucker, which he says has proven cheaper.
He dropped Costco as as a supplier in favour of the Canadian company Mia Food Service, which admittedly, has raised the cost of some of his ingredients, including mushrooms.
"It's hard to beat Costco's buying power, you know, as a large company. But I haven't really had to raise my prices at all," he said.
"I'm expecting some prices to go up at some point. But, you know, I'm just a pizza maker. I'm not an economist. So we'll see what happens."
Like many Canadians, von Massow says he's been trying to cut out American products at home, and buy Canadian ones where possible.
But he admits buying Canadian can be a bit of a minefield, as many products cross the border in the course of production.
"You'll have pigs that are born in Ontario, raised by Ontario farmers, fattened by Ontario farmers, and then shipped to the U.S. for processing because there's not enough processing here in Canada," he said. "When they're coming back, is that Ontario pork or is that U.S. pork?"
Still, he encourages Canadians to keep looking for local alternatives, even if that means relying on frozen veggies in the winter, or sticking with more shelf-staple ones, like carrots and onions.
"By not buying American, we're not going to bring the U.S. economy to its knees. But .... we are going to impact specific companies in the U.S. who will be talking to their who will be talking to their politicians," he said.
"So I think that that's a good thing. I think we can do this without substantially increasing the costs we pay if we're willing to be flexible."
Palmateer says he hopes to encourage others to think about where their food comes from.
"I would hope that we as Canadians sort of look to each other to source products more than looking to our neighbours. We're producing a lot of great products in this country," he said.
"If me getting press because of this switch encourages others to look locally for great products, then that's a step in the right direction."
Interview with Graham Palmateer produced by Magan Carty
