Confusion Over Beef Labeling at Costco

In Canada, most of the beef sold is actually from Canadian sources, but you can also find options from the U. S., Australia, and Mexico. Pat Foran reports.

Randy Thompson from Gravenhurst, Ont., visited a Costco in Orillia this week to buy some Canadian beef.

“I bought the beef short ribs, which we really like. The front of the label says, ‘Kirkland brand cut triple AAA Canada beef,’” Thompson explained.

Costco beef This Costco beef short rib has the label “Canadian Beef.” (Supplied)

However, when he got home and checked again, he saw another label on the back that said something entirely different.

“It says ‘Cut from USDA Choice beef’ and ‘Product of USA, processed in Canada,’ which is completely different,” noted Thompson.

Costco beef This Costco beef short rib has the label “Product of USA, processed in Canada.” (Supplied)

He went back to Costco seeking answers but didn’t receive any clarification.

“I was pretty annoyed. It was either labeled incorrectly or it’s just confusing,” stated Thompson.

Ontario man says beef he bought at Costco was labelled in a confusing manner Randy Thompson of Gravenhurst, Ont., shares that the label on the front of his package shows ‘Kirkland brand cut triple AAA Canada beef,’ but on the back it states ‘Cut from USDA Choice beef’ and ‘Product of USA.’

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) told that they can’t comment on this specific case but emphasized that “all information on food labels and s must be accurate, truthful, and not misleading.”

The CFIA encourages Canadians to report products they believe are misleadingly labeled through their food complaint or concern webpage.

“Canadians can find out more about identifying Canadian food with our quick reference guide about various words or symbols they may encounter while shopping-some indicate Canadian content while others signify compliance with Canadian quality or organic standards,” added the CFIA.

“For instance, claims such as ‘Canadian Beef’ inform you about where the product comes from. In contrast, food grades like ‘CANADA AAA’ for beef establish product quality criteria (like maturity, color, and marbling).”

reached out to Costco for comments but did not get a response.

However, when we checked a Scarborough Costco location, we found that same short rib product available for sale with what appeared to be correct labeling.

discovered short ribs featuring a sticker indicating Canadian origin on the front-they were indeed from Canada.

found beef short ribs that had the Canadian beef sticker on the front, and it was indeed from Canada. found beef short ribs that had the Canadian beef sticker on the front, and it was indeed from Canada.

We also noticed some short ribs without a Canadian sticker which were sourced from the USA.

This could confuse consumers since both types are displayed next to each other.

With Thompson’s experience , it seems there might have been an accidental labeling mistake where staff wrongly placed a Canadian sticker on an American product.

Sylvain Charlebois , professor and food researcher at Dalhousie University , mentioned , “There’s clearly an effort to highlight Canadian products , especially at meat counters.”

Charlebois remarked that during trade tensions , customers want clear information regarding where their groceries originate.

“At some point we need to rethink how we label products ,” said Charlebois.

As for Thompson , he mentioned that regardless if it was an error or not , he will keep an eye out for labels so he can support local products.

“We’ve got to stand up for ourselves and our country and stick together,” concluded Thompson.

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