Products made in Russia or directly related to it were removed from various Empire Company, Metro, and Loblaw Companies chain stores.
According to the Globe and Mail newspaper on Sunday, several Canadian grocery chains have decided to remove products bearing the “Made in Russia” logo from their shelves.
The owners of several chain stores owned by Empire Company, Metro Company, and Loblaw Companies removed products made in Russia or with a direct connection to Russia, including sunflower seeds, malt beer, and some confectionery. Companies are also trying to find new sources for these products.
In the days following the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, several Canadian stores, including online sellers, began removing Russian-made products, primarily vodka. According to the newspaper, “Russian” vodka produced outside of Russia was also included.
Meanwhile, Sylvain Charlebois, head of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, told the newspaper that spotting Russian items is more difficult than merely scanning the labels. According to him, Canada imports a variety of goods from Russia, including wheat, corn, barley, and lentils, depending on demand.
“What constitutes a Russian product? Are we thinking about ingredients or brands?” he said, adding “I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the bread we buy in Canada contains Russian wheat.”
In a televised address on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that in response to a request from the heads of the Donbass republics, he had decided to launch a special military operation to protect people “who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.”
The Russian president stated emphatically that Moscow had no intention of invading Ukrainian territory. Following this, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and a number of other countries levied penalties against Russian legal entities and private citizens.
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