Office of Consumer Affairs
June 2022
In this issue of Consumer Edge, find information on things to consider before you travel this summer and food safety tips for your trips near home. Watch our new video to learn how to recognize and report spam and read Option consommateurs' report on the topic of influencer marketing.
Summer travels
Whether you're travelling near or far this summer, there are a few things you should know before you go.
If you plan to travel within the country, the Destination Canada website provides helpful suggestions on places to visit in each province. Check out the COVID-19 Guidance for Travelers page to find out if there are travel restrictions in the area you're visiting.
If you plan to travel outside of the country, get familiar with the current travel restrictions before booking your flight or accommodations.
Travel tip: If you have existing insurance coverage for your property, car, credit card or for health care, you may wish to check if it also covers any potential travel-related issues that may arise. For example, your personal property insurance may cover lost or stolen luggage.
World Food Safety Day (June 7)
World Food Safety Day is on June 7 and the theme this year is Safer food, better health.
As you get your cooler or picnic basket ready for your outdoor activity this summer, here are some helpful ways to increase your awareness of food safety:
- Get to know food labels.
- Subscribe to the food category in Health Canada's Recalls and Safety Alerts Database.
- Explore general food safety tips to learn how to safely prepare and store food.
Join the #WorldFoodSafetyDay conversation on social media and share your #FoodSafetyTips on June 7.
Video: Recognize and report spam
Are your phone and your email inbox getting hit with unwanted messages? Do you know what to look for to determine if it's spam? If you're interested in learning about what you can do to reduce the amount of messages you need to delete from your device, watch our short video about recognizing and reporting spam.
Find more information on how to distinguish spam from legitimate emails, texts and social media messages, and what to do about spam if you receive it on the Recognizing and reporting spam page.
Influencer marketing
Option consommateurs received funding from the Office of Consumer Affairs' Contributions Program for Non-Profit Consumer and Voluntary Organizations to complete a study on the topic of influencer marketing, a trending practice to promote a product or service on social media.
The Influencer marketing: advertising in the age of social media report flags the need for greater transparency in the use of marketing techniques so consumers can be sure they know when a message is in fact an advertisement.
Find more consumer-related information from the Government of Canada on the News for Consumers page.
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