Check the Label

Proudly made in Canada by

Punchcard Systems

A community-driven app that helps empower Canadian consumers to make more informed decisions about the products they buy.

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Download Check the Label on Google Play

About Check the Label

Our mission is to help Canadians better understand their consumer choices by providing transparent and easy-to-access information regarding the production and manufacturing of their favourite products.

With a quick barcode scan, you can instantly learn more about a product’s origin—empowering you with information to make more informed shopping decisions. 

The best part? Canadians will help us build it. Every time you use the app, you’ll help us build a robust database of information, which will help other people make decisions about their shopping choices.

The Check the Label App scanning a bar code and displaying the results of the people that voted the product as originating in Canada, USA, or Other

How Reliable is Check the Label?

Determining a product’s manufacturing origins isn’t as straightforward as we’d hoped. Rather than sharing our opinion on a product’s origins, we thought it would be better to build a platform where the community can help decide.

When you scan a product’s barcode, you will know whether or not it exists in our growing database.

If it does, our app will provide you with the product name and results on the likely origin of the product based on crowdsourced votes from consumers who have previously scanned the same product. Using this information, you can cast your vote for the country you believe the product originates from.



If you scan a product that has not previously been entered into our database, you will be asked to manually enter details about the product that can be found on the label.

You will then be asked to cast your vote for the country you believe the product originates from.



Using information from the product label and cross-referencing voting data compiled from fellow Canadian consumers, you can confidently shop for products that you feel have been made or originate in Canada. Together, we’re creating transparency around product origins, one scan at a time. 

Community-Driven Platform

This is where you come in. Check the Label is a community-driven platform where every scan helps define what “Made in Canada” really means.

When you use the app, you’re not just a consumer; you’re a contributor to a growing knowledge base that helps everyone make more informed choices. 

Our Database Is Still Growing

This is our very first release—a minimum viable product built to test our ideas in the real world.

Think of it as a proof of concept that we’re sharing openly with our community.

It’s not polished, and you might encounter some rough edges, but that’s exactly why we need you. 

Your Feedback Matters To Us

We’re big believers in building in public.

Rather than try to perfect every feature behind closed doors, we’re inviting you to help shape this tool alongside us as fellow Canadians.

We build products iteratively, using your real-time feedback and user testing to shape the next evolution of the app.

Why Do We Need This?

Have you ever picked up a product at your local grocery store and been confused about where that product was made? You’re not alone.

The world of product labeling is complex, with terms that sound similar but mean very different things. In other words, not all ‘Canadian’ labels mean the same thing.

Adding to the confusion, there’s no single, universal system for creating product labels. Different industries, countries, and even companies might use their own standards.

Product of Canada

This designation is even more stringent – it means that all or virtually all (at least 98%) of the production or manufacturing costs were incurred in Canada. Any imported ingredients must be minimal.

Made in Canada

This label means that the last substantial transformation of the product occurred in Canada, and at least 51% of the total direct costs of producing or manufacturing the good were incurred in Canada.

Why Should I ‘Buy Local’?

Supporting local sounds simple in theory, but the reality is much more nuanced. In a global economy where products often cross multiple borders during their journey from raw materials to finished goods, what makes a product truly “Canadian” isn’t always black and white. 

Supporting Canadian-made products isn’t just about patriotism—it’s about building stronger communities and a more resilient economy: 

Support Local Jobs & Communities

Local manufacturing helps support local jobs and maintain crucial skills and knowledge within our borders contributing to regional economic diversity.

Reduce Environmental Impact

Buying local often means shorter supply chains, less packaging, and a reduction in transportation distances which helps lower our carbon footprint.

Enhance Understanding of Global Supply Chains

Understanding where products come from helps better our collective understanding of production costs, the effects of inflation, and the recent increase in the cost of your grocery bills.

Help Maintain Ethical & Safe Labour Practices

Canadian manufacturers often maintain higher labor and environmental standards including workplace safety, fair wage standards, and ethical labor practices than our nations.

FAQs

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About Punchcard Systems

Punchcard Systems is Canada’s fastest growing software and technology partner serving over 150 trusted clients across Canada and the United States.

We build innovative digital experiences including custom software, business process automation, web and mobile apps, and optimization of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem of applications to impact metrics that matter. 

Punchcard Systems is proudly Canadian with over 50 remote team members spanning from British Columbia to the Maritimes and everywhere in between. As a technology company built by Canadians for Canadians, we understand the importance of supporting local businesses and maintaining a strong domestic economy. Our coast-to-coast presence gives us unique insight into the diverse needs of Canadian consumers and businesses. 

We’re more than just a tech company–we’re a group of passionate Canadians committed to strengthening our nation’s economic fabric through innovative digital solutions. By choosing Punchcard Systems, you’re supporting a company that invests in Canadian talent and contributes to our country’s technological advancement.

A group shot of the entire Punchcard Team at Punchcard Connects 2024

Let’s Make Check the Label Better, Together.

Download Now

Download Check the Label on Google Play

Let Us Know Your Feedback

If you have any feedback that could help improve the user experience of the app, please email us at checkthelabel@punchcard.io.

For Media Inquiries

Please direct all media inquiries to media@punchcard.io.