To find out how often grocery stores are labelling products with Canadian symbols, Marketplace analyzed products sold online at one Loblaws store, through Voilà in Toronto, and at Metro.

Marketplace found that a third of products at the Loblaws were labelled as Prepared in Canada, and more than a fifth of products at Voilà were labelled with a Shop Canada logo. There were also thousands of Metro products listed under that store’s Canada label.

Marketplace shared its findings with experts who say grocery stores are trying to capitalize on the country’s wave of patriotism, noting that a vague definition of what makes a product Canadian is in the best interest of retailers, not shoppers.

Food buyers should be aware that the legally protected statements are “Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada”. Be aware that Made in Canada only means the final processing step was performed in Canada so something like concentrated orange juice imported from Florida which then has water added while bottling in Toronto could get that label.

Any other descriptive statements are allowed so long as they are factually true. A maple leaf on the container could be deceptive and legal because it doesn’t technically say anything, dishonest or otherwise.