Melona bars successfully went from cult fave to grocery freezer mainstay. But why have the cool and creamy Korean desserts been so hard to find in stores over the past month?
Driving the news: A CBC report found that Melona has halted shipments of seven flavours due to an import dispute. Border services and Seasia Foods, Melona’s Canadian importer, are in disagreement over whether or not Melona bars are classified as ice cream.
- This might sound beyond trivial, but it’s a big deal, as there are limits on how much foreign ice cream importers can bring to Canada at a lower tariff rate.
- Shipments of Melona bars will (blessedly) resume in August, per Seasia, but the bars on shelves in Canada will be a non-dairy variant so as not to incur exorbitant taxes.
Why it matters: Canada’s dairy import rules are meant to safeguard the domestic industry, but — as evidenced by this Melona mess — they can also hurt consumer choice. Tariffs as high as 300% make dairy delicacies like cheeses from the U.K. or New Zealand hard to get.
Zoom out: Critics also argue the system inflates prices by keeping out competition, with one study finding it causes the average consumer to pay an extra $500 a year on dairy.—QH