Loblaws and Ketchup

G Williams · Post by **G Williams** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 5:49 pm

Some times I think that I'm out of step with others in society. Not always though. When French's came out with Ketchup I said to my wife that we should give it a try since Heinz was invading their space with mustard and had treated Canadian tomatoes growers with disregard. A few months later a posting on the net went viral for the same reason. News yesterday was that Loblaws was dropping the French line. (Not a popular seller they said) Just now one day later Loblaws reversed that decision, due to adverse public opinion. I say it looks good on them!

Brebis · Post by **Brebis** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 6:01 pm

Funny isn't it!

Loblaws is trying to position itself as the local grocer, with Galen Weston speaking at Local food conferences and then this.

But it's very convoluted as our food system is now since yes, Frenchs uses Leamington tomatoes processed at the old Heinz plant but the actual Kechup is made in Ohio, USA. So the farmers do Ok, a few people get jobs processing the tomatoes but is it a Product of Canada or the US?

Hmmmm....what to do!

Post by **Killerbunny** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 6:35 pm

Not a big ketchup eater but apparently PC own brand is made in Canada.

SandyM · Post by **SandyM** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:48 pm

Killerbunny wrote:QR_BBPOST Not a big ketchup eater but apparently PC own brand is made in Canada.

I read this today as well. PC is made in Canada but the tomatoes are sourced from where? I just got in and haven't had time to dig into where their tomato supplier is. Anyone know? I'm going to bet it's Mexico tho.

Post by **WLLady** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 10:12 pm

And now loblaws is restocking french's
you cant tell me that wasnt a strategic plan to get publicity for loblaws doing what they did in the news.

SandyM · Post by **SandyM** » Wed Mar 16, 2016 8:34 am

Not sure that was smart of Loblaws because a lot of people are refusing to buy PC ketchup now. Or at least that's what they're saying.

Post by **WLLady** » Wed Mar 16, 2016 10:56 am

california probably....it has a HUGE tomato crop.....having lived there, just down the road from a french's factory we used to wait until the crop came in and we could walk around town and pick the tomatoes up off the side of the road where they'd fallen off trucks that were cornering too fast LOL

Dominion Link · Post by **Dominion Link** » Wed Mar 16, 2016 11:24 am

WLLady wrote:QR_BBPOST california probably....it has a HUGE tomato crop.....having lived there, just down the road from a french's factory we used to wait until the crop came in and we could walk around town and pick the tomatoes up off the side of the road where they'd fallen off trucks that were cornering too fast LOL

Growing up in Whitby in the 70's-80's, there was a Libby's canning factory just about 5 blocks north of the "downtown" intersection. Lots of residential neighbourhoods near the factory. More than one kid came close to being scooped up by loaders in the middle of the night as they rummaged through pumpkins to borrow.

I've been choosing Ontario/ Canada purchases as much as possible for all of my adult life. Obviously some food items can't be sourced here and it's simply impossible anymore to get other consumables, like electronics, that are manufactured domestically but I do what I can to support homegrown products.

I listened to a US FDA Inspector on talk radio from NY a few years back, talking about inspecting a tea factory in China. He explained how the workers would sandwich the tea leaves between screens on the ground and then park a truck over top of the screens with the exhaust blowing on them to dry the leaves..... And then there are the jurisdictions where sewage is sometimes used to irrigate crops etc.. I prefer our agricultural practices.

SandyM · Post by **SandyM** » Wed Mar 16, 2016 3:59 pm

Yup. Same for rice dean and a few other products. Did you see a few years ago Anderson Cooper on CNN and their rice fields and the cancer and miscarriage rates of rice crop farmers etc? Omg! Was it coal factory run off ?? Fields were red and toxic so they should be wearing masks.
I still have flashbacks of that. Insanely dangerous, reckless and inhumane. Oh man now I'm going to go in search of this.

baronrenfrew · Post by **baronrenfrew** » Wed Mar 16, 2016 5:41 pm

How about drought stricken California farmers irrigating with oil wastewater?

https://waterdefense.org