Bick’s pickles are being pulled from shelves by some retailers across Canada due to the ongoing tariff war, according to its parent company.
American company Treehouse Foods Inc confirmed the news to Now Toronto in an email statement on Monday.
“To not carry Bick’s is a business decision some of our customers are making based on the tariffs to bring the finished product back over the border,” the statement said.
However, the company said that products are still available despite some retailers choosing not to sell.
Bick’s, known for its pickle products, was once Canadian-owned before being acquired by an American company and moving across the border.
The decision to pull the pickles from shelves comes as the tariff war between Canada and the U.S. carries on, after the U.S. slapped tariffs on Canadian goods in March.
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As a response, Canada issued retaliatory tariffs on many products including cucumbers and gherkin pickles.
Despite being American-owned, the company tells Now Toronto that Bick’s still uses 11 million pounds of Canadian cucumbers each year, and metal lids sourced from Canadian companies.
“Supporting Canada is important to us, and as a manufacturer with facilities in Canada and the U.S., navigating tariffs has been challenging. We remain committed to our Canadian suppliers and farmers,” the company said.
Dalhousie University food professor, Sylvain Charlebois, tells Now Toronto in an email statement that grocers are opting to promote Canadian-made pickle brands as prices climb due to a combination of counter tariffs from Canada and tariffs from the U.S. to supply Bick’s plants.
Charlebois says the tariffs are affecting the company’s ability to compete in the Canadian market and says Canadians already have plenty of domestic pickle brands to choose from.
“Many of which are priced competitively. Unless you’re a devoted Bick’s fan, you likely won’t feel much impact,” he said.
In light of the news, some social media users say they aren’t too worried about Bick’s being less noticeable in some stores, and say they’d much rather have a Canadian-owned product.
“Lakeside pickles! Don’t need Bick’s. Lakeside makes tons of great products out of Southwestern Ontario,” a Reddit user said.
“Oh well, there are so many good Canadian made pickles: Putters, Brine&Co, etc,” another user said.
“I tried a product line called Brine and it was tasty. They are made in BC,” another user said.
Charlebois says he doesn’t expect all grocers to stop carrying Bick’s but shoppers should expect fewer listings.
