A new free app is helping Canadians verify whether the products they buy are made in Canada.
Built and launched in only a week by Punchcard Systems, Check the Label allows users to scan a product’s barcode and instantly see its origin. The beta version is live, as is a mobile app for Android, and iOS is coming soon.
The app launches as Canada faces new tariffs from the U.S., impacting domestic industries and increasing costs for consumers.
With uncertainty around trade policies, many Canadians are looking for ways to support local businesses.
Check the Label gives consumers a way to make informed purchasing decisions by providing transparency on where products are made.
Launched as a social initiative by Punchcard, the app is dubbed a “community-driven platform” where every user is a contributor to a growing knowledge base that helps everyone make more informed choices.
How Check the Label came to be
It all started with mustard. A simple condiment, yet its journey from seed to shelf is anything but straightforward.
The idea started on a Saturday morning when Estyn Edwards, Partner and CTO of Punchcard, was talking with his partner about how he could contribute during the economic uncertainty. His partner suggested something simple — start with the grocery store. That conversation led Edwards to explore how consumers could better understand where their products come from.
By the end of the day, Edwards had developed a rough prototype. On Sunday, he continued iterating on the idea and by Monday morning, the full Punchcard team was involved, refining and expanding the concept.
Within a week, Check the Label was live.
“We’re leveraging AI to be able to provide some value-added data to the consumer,” says Sam Jenkins, Managing Partner of Punchcard.
The app uses multiple data sources and artificial intelligence to assess whether a product meets the criteria for “Made in Canada” or “Product of Canada.”
This process, Jenkins says, isn’t entirely straightforward, as a “product of Canada” means that 98% of the production or manufacturing costs were incurred in Canada, while “Made in Canada” means that 51% of the total direct costs of production or manufacturing were incurred in the country.
With food, Jenkins notes that many products contain Canadian-sourced ingredients but undergo processing elsewhere before being sold back in Canada.
“The use case that came up for Estyn at the very beginning was mustard,” Jenkins says. “It’s 100% Canadian mustard seeds that are shipped over the border for secondary production, turned into mustard, and then shipped back to us as a Canadian mustard product,” says Jenkins. “Our goal is to make these distinctions clearer.”
Refining product data and expanding reach
Punchcard is developing other AI-driven tools aimed at improving business and consumer decision-making, and with Check the Label, increasing the accuracy of its data remains a key focus.
Collaboration with retailers, manufacturers, and consumers is necessary to improve the reliability of product origin information. Ensuring consumers have access to accurate product information requires collaboration and technological refinement.
With Check the Label, success depends on expanding its database through contributions from users, retailers, and manufacturers.
Jenkins emphasizes that crowdsourced data is key to improving product accuracy.
“Once a product is scanned, we try to provide as much information as possible, but we also allow users to contribute their own knowledge — maybe they see something on the label that isn’t reflected in our database yet,” he says. “This helps us make the data more reliable over time.”
In early anecdotal testing, Check the Label successfully identified about 95% of scanned products, but Jenkins says gaps remain because Canadian product databases are not as comprehensive as some international counterparts.
“The challenge being Canadian data sets aren’t nearly as robust,” says Jenkins. “That’s why partnerships and user contributions are so important. We’re actively working to close those gaps.”
To improve accuracy, Punchcard is seeking partnerships with retailers, manufacturers, and producers to expand its database.
Beta testers help refine accuracy
Early adopters play a critical role in refining Check the Label by scanning products and providing feedback.
“User engagement is key,” says Jenkins. “The more people scan and vote, the better this tool becomes. Even if a product isn’t in our database yet, every scan contributes to a better system. Our goal is to make sure no Canadian picks up a product and wonders where it really comes from.”
Retailers can strengthen consumer trust
Retailers can also play a crucial role by sharing verified product origin data and ensuring their Canadian-made goods are properly represented.
“We want to talk to retailers about how we can make sure we’re getting better data into the hands of Canadians,” Jenkins explains. “Many retailers already highlight Canadian-made products, but this app allows them to go a step further by providing clear, real-time verification. This strengthens trust with their customers and reinforces the value of buying local.”
Jenkins says many retailers already highlight Canadian-made products, but this app allows them to go a step further by putting data in the hands of every Canadian who uses the app anywhere in the country, at any retailer.
Manufacturers and data providers can enhance the platform
Manufacturers and suppliers with product origin databases can also significantly enhance Check the Label by contributing verified data.
“We’re integrating third-party databases and actively looking for manufacturers who want to ensure their Canadian-made products are recognized,” Jenkins says. “If you’re a company that produces goods in Canada, now’s the time to help make this platform as robust as possible. The more accurate the data, the better the experience for consumers — and the stronger the case for buying Canadian.”
As more users engage with Check the Label, its potential to influence consumer habits and retail transparency will only grow. With continued collaboration from businesses and individuals alike, the app aims to create a more informed and empowered marketplace.
For Canadians looking to support domestic products and businesses, Check the Label provides a practical tool to make that process easier and more reliable. As the database expands and participation increases, the impact of the platform will become even stronger.
Learn more about Check the Label here.
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