Loblaw reintroduces T symbols to mark tariff-affected products

Loblaw Cos. Ltd. is reintroducing ‘T’ symbols on grocery shelf labels to identify products impacted by tariffs as trade tensions between Canada and the United States escalate. Chief Executive Per Bank announced that the symbols will initially appear on a limited number of items, with the scope expected to expand as more product categories are affected by tariffs.

To assist consumers, the retailer will also reintroduce country-of-origin labels in fresh produce aisles and continue using maple leaf symbols to denote homegrown products. The ‘T’ symbol specifically indicates to customers that a product’s price has increased due to tariff implementation.

Bank noted that the company is better prepared for these trade tensions than in previous years, having revamped its supply chain to increase the use of domestic and non-U.S. suppliers. This follows a previous period of tension where major Canadian grocery chains sought to onboard local suppliers amid a ‘buy Canadian’ movement.