Bick’s Pickles Pulled from Some Canadian Stores Amid Tariff Dispute
Bick’s pickles, a long-standing favorite in Canadian kitchens, are disappearing from some grocery store shelves as a casualty of the ongoing trade dispute between Canada and the United States.
Tariffs Leave a Sour Taste
The shortage stems from a 25% Canadian counter-tariff on cucumbers and gherkins, imposed in retaliation to U.S. trade measures earlier this year. While Bick’s is made exclusively for the Canadian market, production moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 2014. Despite that shift, the company continues to source 11 million pounds of Ontario cucumbers annually, along with jar lids from an Ontario manufacturer.
Steven Oakland, CEO of TreeHouse Foods Inc., which owns Bick’s, said retailers began raising concerns about higher costs soon after the tariffs took effect. “The food business is low-margin and high-volume. A 25% tariff leaves no room to absorb costs,” he explained. As a result, some retailers have stopped stocking Bick’s altogether.
Still Available—But Not Everywhere
Oakland estimates Bick’s remains on shelves in about 70% of Canadian stores, but sales have dropped by roughly 25% in the past three months. The company is lobbying for tariff changes, even reaching out to U.S. officials to address the cross-border pickle pinch.
Impact on Canadian Farmers
While some consumers are choosing to “buy Canadian” amid the trade dispute, experts warn it could backfire. “If fewer people buy Bick’s, the company buys fewer cucumbers from Canadian farmers,” said University of Guelph food economist Mike von Massow. This ripple effect could reduce income for Ontario growers who supply the cucumbers.
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Shoppers Feeling the Crunch
For pickle lovers like Edmonton’s Crystal Porcher—who eats them twice a week and even sports a pickle tattoo—the news is hard to swallow. “I’m not going to stop eating them, but I may have to find other brands,” she said.
Industry Calls for Duty-Free Food Trade
The tariff impact is being felt beyond pickles. John Cox, executive vice president of Pickle Packers International, says complex supply chains make the pickled vegetable industry vulnerable. He’s advocating for duty-free transport of food products under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) to protect producers.
For now, loyal Bick’s fans may need to hunt harder—and pay more—to get their favorite jars. And with barbecue season in full swing, Oakland says the timing couldn’t be worse.
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- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/sour-news-for-pickle-lovers-bick-s-pickles-no-longer-stocked-at-some-canadian-retailers-1.7605005
- https://ca.news.yahoo.com/sour-news-pickle-lovers-bicks-080000647.html
- https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/topstories/sour-news-for-pickle-lovers-bick-s-pickles-no-longer-stocked-at-some-canadian-retailers/ar-AA1Kf1o1
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