Join us for the premier conference on Canadian Food Law & Regulation, taking place November 12 – 13, 2025!
Kelly Harris will be speaking on Greenwashing Risks: A Guide for Food Manufacturers to Avoid Misleading Environmental Claims at 9:00am ET on November 12, with fellow panelists Suzanne Hathaway, Senior Vice President, General Counsel at Maple Leaf Foods and Prianka Kalraiya, Legal Counsel at WK Kellogg Co.
With the recent amendments to Bill C-59, greenwashing is under sharper scrutiny than ever before. New provisions in Canada’s Competition Act now impose significant penalties for misleading environmental claims. Join us as we explore how these legal changes impact your organization and share practical strategies to mitigate risk and avoid costly penalties.
+ Clarifying how general environmental marketing terms (e.g. “eco-friendly”, “green”, “sustainable”) must be tied to specific, verifiable standards.
+ Investigating recent examples of greenwashing enforcement in the food sector and how companies have responded.
+ Developing proper substantiation protocols for recyclability, biodegradability, and compostability claims that will avoid false advertising risk.
+ Assessing greenwashing risk associated with product labelling, corporate sustainability statements, and branded ESG initiatives.
+ Analyzing how citizen-initiated complaints and class actions are reshaping risk, and what legal defenses are emerging in this space.
+ Developing greenwashing risk mitigation plans in anticipation of the final guidance expected Fall 2025.
