Recently announced tariffs imposed by the U.S. government, and counter-tariffs implemented by the Canadian government, are receiving a lot of attention. We understand concerns many will have, as tariffs by nature are inflationary, essentially acting like a tax.

Canadians have been through a lot. We know that many Canadians have struggled with affordability in their daily lives, including the cost of groceries. We don’t have all the answers yet to how tariffs will impact prices, but you have our commitment to do our best to reduce impacts, act fairly and to be transparent about what is impacted by tariffs and what is not.

General Questions About Tariffs

1. What are these tariffs, and why were they put in place?

The Canadian government has implemented counter-tariffs on certain U.S. products in response to tariffs imposed by the U.S. government. These tariffs add an extra cost to specific imported goods, affecting their retail prices.

2. Which products are affected by the tariffs?

A variety of food and household products are subject to the tariffs. For a full list of U.S. products impacted by the 25% counter-tariff, please click here(Open in a new tab).

3. How much are prices increasing because of the tariffs?

Products will be impacted in different ways. For some products made in the U.S. and tariffed by Canada, prices will likely rise very significantly. For products made here at home, but with ingredients from the U.S., portions of the costs will be subjected to tariffs and may have higher costs. In both cases, we will work actively with our suppliers to try to reduce those impacts.

For products made here at home with Canadian ingredients, there are no tariffs applied.

It is important to note that many factors impact pricing, of which tariffs are only one component. Product pricing can be impacted by the lower value of the Canadian dollar (foreign exchange), commodity issues or other factors. Our customers can be assured that we will not benefit from tariffs and will lower the pricing of products penny for penny when tariffs are removed.

4. How long will these tariffs last?

We do not know the answer to that important question. The tariffs are set by the Canadian government for products coming into the country. They will decide when tariffs are in place or removed, and we will continue to monitor any changes. If the tariffs are lifted, we will adjust prices and will not benefit in any way.

5. Are these tariffs affecting all grocery stores or just yours?

These tariffs apply across Canada and impact all retailers that sell affected U.S. products (including grocers and other retailers across a range of industries). However, we are working hard to offer Canadian alternatives and other options to give customers more choice and alternatives.

6. When will the tariffs start showing up in the stores and online?

Canadians should not expect to see prices in our stores increase right away as a result of tariffs. As you would expect, we have inventory of U.S. products in our distribution centres, which we purchased before the tariffs went into effect. But tariffs will eventually impact prices for certain products we sell – and that could come within a week or two for some items, such as fresh produce. When that happens, we’ll be adding signage with a distinctive “T” symbol that indicates the price of the product has increased due to tariffs. When we do this, we’ll gather feedback from customers to determine if it helps them avoid the impact of tariffs and find suitable alternatives, and adjust accordingly.

Questions About Pricing & Alternatives

7. How can I tell if a product has increased in price due to tariffs? We are adding signage in stores to help customers identify products that have been directly impacted by tariffs. Look for the “T” symbol on shelf for products that have been directly impacted by tariffs.

8. Are you offering any Canadian alternatives to tariffed products? Yes. Supporting Canadian businesses has always been a top priority for us. We are working closely with Canadian growers and manufacturers to secure more locally sourced products, and we’ve already onboarded about 30 new Canadian suppliers this year.

9. Will you be raising prices on affected products, or will the store absorb some of the cost? While we always try to keep prices competitive, tariff-related costs will unfortunately lead to price increases on certain products. We are actively working to find alternatives – sourcing from countries not impacted by tariffs – and talking to our suppliers on how to minimize price increases.

10. Are there any deals or promotions to help offset the price increases? We are highlighting Canadian-made products through PC Optimum, offering more points on our own Canadian brands like PC, no name, and Farmer’s Market. Additionally, customers can use our new “swap” feature to replace a product with a Canadian alternative where available. Over the next few weeks, we’ll also introduce new promotions on key essentials to help customers find more savings as tariffs come into effect.

11. Why are prices increasing on products not from the U.S? We continue to work with our suppliers to provide the most value to customers, but there are a number of factors that affect pricing, outside of the tariffs. These include the value of the Canadian dollar (as many products are purchased in USD) as well as inflation throughout the supply chain.

Questions About Labeling & Identifying Canadian Products

12. How can I tell if a product is made in Canada or imported from the U.S.? Many food products have a country of origin label, regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. We’ve also made it easier to find Canadian products in our stores by adding a maple leaf symbol on the shelf for certain items. This means the product was "Prepared in Canada" with domestic and/or imported ingredients. Some products may also have "Product of Canada" or "Made in Canada" labels, which means an even greater portion of their ingredients and production come from Canada.

13. Are you labeling tariff-affected products in stores to make them easier to identify? Yes, you will see the “T” symbol to help easily identify products directly affected by tariffs, as prices increase. The “T” indicates that the price of the product has increased by up to 25% because of a government-imposed tariff. We understand that some products may have partial ingredients impacted, however, at this point we will not add the symbol to those.

14. What does the "Product of Canada" or "Made in Canada" label mean?

• "Product of Canada"

  means nearly all of the product’s ingredients, processing, and labor are Canadian.

• "Made in Canada"

  means the product was manufactured here but may include some imported ingredients.

15. Will there be more locally sourced options available in the store? Yes. We are doubling down on our commitment to Canadian products and have already partnered with new Canadian suppliers to bring in more locally made and grown options.

Questions About Store Policies & Buying Practices

16. Will your store stop buying U.S. products and focus on Canadian ones? We will continue to offer customers choice in what they buy, including products from the U.S. However, we’re prioritizing Canadian suppliers and expanding our sourcing both here at home, and from other countries.

17. Are you working with more Canadian suppliers because of the tariffs? We’ve onboarded about 30 new Canadian suppliers recently, and we continue to look for ways to expand our partnerships with local growers and manufacturers.

18. Are you looking at sourcing products from other countries besides the U.S.? Yes, in cases where Canadian alternatives are not available, we are exploring options from other markets to provide customers with high-quality, competitively priced products. This process takes time and should help in the medium-term if tariffs remain in place.

19. How are you ensuring that alternative products maintain the same quality? We have strict quality standards for all the products we sell, whether they are sourced locally or internationally. We work closely with suppliers to ensure that all alternatives meet our expectations for freshness, taste, and safety.

20. Will store-brand products be affected by tariffs? Some of our store-brand products may contain ingredients from the U.S. or may be produced there and will now be subject to tariffs. With a focus on innovation and quality, we are always looking at ways to provide the best products at affordable prices for our customers and we will continue.

Questions About the Future

21. What happens if the tariffs increase or expand to more products? If new tariffs are introduced, we expect there will be a further impact on grocery prices. We are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to adjust our sourcing strategies to keep providing customers with the best possible options.

22. Will tariff impacts in pricing go back down if the tariffs are removed? Yes. If the tariffs are lifted, we will adjust pricing accordingly. Our goal is always to offer fair prices to our customers and products that do not have tariffs applied will have that cost removed in the price.

23. Are you working with the government or suppliers to reduce the impact on customers? We continue to advocate for customers, including talking to the government and many participants in our supply chain to ensure the potential consequences of this situation are understood. We have asked the Canadian government to exempt from counter-tariffs the most essential products on our shelves that come from the U.S. and for which customers have limited alternatives.

24. How can I, as a shopper, best support Canadian products during this time? There are several ways to support Canadian businesses:

• Look for the maple leaf symbol

  and “Product of Canada” or Made in Canada” labels in stores.

• Choose store brands like PC, no name, and Farmer’s Market, which prioritize Canadian ingredients.

• Take advantage of PC Optimum promotions on Canadian-made products.

• Use the swap feature to replace imported products with Canadian alternatives where available.