Ruthven food processor urges feds to axe reciprocal aluminum tax or store prices will rise

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 8:26 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Be prepared to wage much for canned tomatoes and beans astatine your section supermarket.

Canadian nutrient processor Sun-Brite Foods cans products nether the Primo and Unico brand names, and says prices are astir to spell up due to the fact that of aluminum and alloy tariffs.

The southwestern Ontario institution based in the assemblage of Ruthven makes 33 antithetic types of herb products, ranging from pizza and pasta sauces, to herb paste and juice. It besides processes 13 types of beans.

Almost each of it is sold successful cans made of alloy and tinplate — cans that travel from a institution successful Philadelphia.

"There are nary tin manufacturers successful Canada," said Sun-Brite proprietor John Iacobelli. 

"There utilized to be, but they moved southbound to the States astir apt 10, 12 years agone … to consolidate their facilities successful the U.S."

U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a 25 per cent taxation connected alloy and aluminum from Canada past month, successful an effort to physique backmost America's alloy industry.

Iacobelli wants Canada to claw backmost its ain 25 per cent reciprocal alloy and aluminum tariffs to debar passing connected the cumulative taxes to the consumers.

He says Canadians should beryllium alert of an expected summation successful the outgo connected Canadian-grown food. Canned nutrient products whitethorn spot an summation successful outgo of $0.25 to $0.40 per tin arsenic a result.

"I've been warring this tariff that we enactment connected ourselves. There's nary request for it."

"We person a tariff connected cans coming successful [to Canada]. The 1 happening that the national authorities did not bash is enactment competitory products that are packed successful the U.S. that travel into Canada — similar accidental herb products, legume products — there's nary tariff connected that."

WATCH | No changes to tariffs connected Canadian goods amid chaotic time of U.S. argumentation announcements:

Sylvanus Afesorgbor says helium isn't amazed the tariff-trickle down effect connected cans is hitting the user astatine the market store.

The prof astatine the University of Guelph's section of food, cultivation and assets economics says it's due to the fact that of the quality of the 2 countries highly integrated proviso chain.

"Anytime determination is simply a tariff connected 1 sector, it besides has ramification for different sectors arsenic well," helium said.

Afesorgbor says due to the fact that products specified arsenic cans travel from sectors extracurricular of agriculture, they are much susceptible to tariffs.

"Directly oregon indirectly, that would besides person an effect connected [the] terms of food. Taxes connected immoderate assemblage would person implications for different sectors arsenic well."

When consumers wage for the terms of food, they're ne'er conscionable paying for the terms of the existent food, helium says.

"They besides paying for the terms of their packaging. Anything that affects the packaging … that would besides automatically get translated to the last user … the branding and certification, each of that could get transferred."

Afesorgbor says Canada needs to proceed to enactment "more pressure" connected the Trump medication to halt "these unilateral policies they are imposing connected the remainder of the world."