I have taken the liberty of creating a spreadsheet detailing a list of Canadian products unavailable in the US and have added comparables where I could. This list was compiled using input from the Heinz Ketchup thread, as well as from my own experience. Please feel free to let me know of any additions or amendments, as this is a work in progress.

Grocery Items Spreadsheet

they have KitKats down here... or do they taste different then the ones in Canada??

Yes, they taste different down here. Sweeter, and the chocolate is gritty.

What a great idea! Nathan's hot dogs are my new favourite! Love them.

You can't get Cheez Whiz here?

What about real maple syrup? My mom always sends my husband those giant jugs of real Canadian maple syrup. It's like gold to him.

Also, the Safeway here has real Canadian back bacon and Canadian peameal bacon. I actually noticed that almost all of the bacon products they sell are from Canada. Harris Teeter here has a good Canadian bacon selection also.

Smarties is another one to add - Smarties here aren't the chocolate candies like we get in Canada and the UK. Americans call those sour little candies that come in a roll (like Rockets) Smarties.

Aero is another chocolate bar that you can't get here - I learned that when my husband asked me what kind of chocolate bar I wanted from the store. I said "Aero" and he said "Huh?"

my MIL also had some kraft carmels so you can get them here some where.

you can get cheese whiz here but it tastes totally different...

I have always preferred M&M's to Smarties anyways, so i don't miss them

they used to sell Coffee Crisp bars at the Dollar Tree down here but they haven't had any the last couple of times I went ..


oh, I really didn't notice a difference....

I was so happy when I found they sold Lipton Chicken Noodle soup down here but it was hard to find.. it does taste slightly different then the stuff from Canada but that is ok with me...

oh another thing is Pizza Pops.. I was shocked to not be able to find them at the grocery stores down here....

Hot or Lean Pockets are ok but I really miss my Pizza Pops... that is a hard thing to bring down though because they need to be kept frozen...

another thing is those McCain deep and delicious frozen cakes...

Miss Stacey reports they are not the same. Link

I'm not sure if that's available or not. I know Vermont maple syrup is, but I don't know if it tastes the same. Anyone?

Thanks for the additional comments everyone. I am incorporating them into the spreadsheet.

Heres my list of things that I have to take "home" to the US to my friends and family every time my husband (Canadian) and I go visit:

Lays Fries and Gravy Chips
ThinAddictives
Licks Guk Sauce
Kernels Ketchup Popcorn Seasoning
Wink
Diet Orange Crush


Heres some things on my husbands list to take when we move:
Strubs Pickles (I prefer Vlasic)
MacIntosh Toffee
Red Rose tea
Wine Gums

(and Wunderbars and Passion Flakies which you already have on your list)

they are made by 2 diff companies. Kitkat in canada is Nestle and I believe it is Hersheys in the USA (not sure!)

Thanks Kim. Added. I wasn't sure what ThinAddictives were but I took a wild guess and added them to the candy section.

it looks like they are some kind of cookie

http://www.thinaddictives.com/

I do not think you can get HP sauce in the US.

Oh I forgot about Licks!!

One more thing: Dill Pickle chips and Ketchup chips are very hard to find here.

It's available, but it's not the same.


Oh, okay. Thanks.

This is very very good krikit!!

Thanks Trailmix! I'm hoping it doesn't turn into a popcorn thread.

I have yet to find a good substitute for the Kraft pizza dough/sauce in a box mix

I'll add it to the list. I have found if you ask at the bakery counter they'll give you the pizza dough. I've also found Boboli Pizza Sauce to be a good substitute. They may even have the dough available because they carry an entire Italian range. Not sure.

I have found wheat bran in health food stores - a bit pricier than in Canada but the same thing - also oat bran.

A near substitute for shreddies - General Mills multi-grain chex is a little sweeter but has much the same taste as Shreddies - and is a reasonable substitue.

You can add Campbell's tomato soup to the list - the US version tastes terrible - very sweet and not nearly as tomatoey.

the dough was something you mixed yourself -- came with a packet of dough mix, tomato sauce, and in the deluxe version a packet of herbs and a packet of grated parmasan cheese. Good stuff. I personally don't like pre-made dough, usually find it to be too tough.

"Trader Joe's" which has a few locations around the US has a LOT of Canadian items you might miss in a larger chain store.

My parents periodically ship me Old Dutch dill pickle chips. For Christmas, Sara bought me a case of C-Plus. I can't live without those things.

Vianca loves the Dill Pickle flavored Dorito chips in Canada. I can't believe how cheap everything is here in Tennessee for Groceries. Getting ripped off in Canada. I have found alot more choices are available for different types of food as well. Still miss Tims Coffee...

Thanks Kathryn. Unfortunately, health food stores are in extremely short supply in my neck of the woods. Fresh Market and Whole Foods (an hour away) don't carry it, but I'll ask if they will order it in. Oat bran seems to be available everywhere, which really confused me when I was looking for wheat bran because you'd think they'd have that too.

List updated with all items.


Oh, okay. I haven't seen anything like that. Sorry.

I wish we had a Trader Joe's. Or a Harris Teeter. Actually both.

I miss it too. Especially when it's Rrrrrrolll Up the Rrrrrrim time.

Yes, going to get my kids to send me some I can brew myself.

even though i'm the american, and missing things the other way....im throwing in jam jams, pineapple crush and blue star, but aparently thats only for newfies anyways... (he told me to put it lol)

Okay, help me out here. Jam Jams I'm guessing are cookies? What is blue star? Is that a drink? It's not screech is it?

yeah its like a soft cookie with jam in the middle. and blue star is just beer lol. i haven't even had screech yet. somehow i've escaped that so far lol

Isn't that funny. Beer was my first guess! lol

Even funnier..... when I first glanced at that package I read "Mostly Jam-filled cookies"..... not "Moist, Jam-filled cookies".

Moist is always good. Damp is bad.

Jam Jams are great! Oh, and chicken bones from Ganong, has anyone seen those around?

i have a recipe for those... they are called Yo-yo cookies

Ohhhh, those things. I had to look them up because I was puzzled.

I always drank Nabob at home. Full City usually. I can't find Nabob here. I'm afraid if I did, they'd only have the regular roast if at all. My son brought me two cans of Nobob Full City when he came in October...of course it's gone now. I also used to buy pearl barley in the store to make soup, or boil up and have warm with honey. I did finally find a health food store that carries it, it's a bit of a distance, but I don't use it that often so I'm going to go get some.

On an offside.... I'm used to finding many bulk spices and grains in Canada which I can't find here. There are only a few "health food" stores, and they're only in a certain location in the city. Coincidently in the same areas a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Might I say the "upscale" neighbourhoods? Another interesting aspect of the City of St. Louis!

I always drank Nabob at home. Full City usually. I can't find Nabob here. I'm afraid if I did, they'd only have the regular roast if at all. My son brought me two cans of Nobob Full City when he came in October...of course it's gone now. I also used to buy pearl barley in the store to make soup, or boil up and have warm with honey. I did finally find a health food store that carries it, it's a bit of a distance, but I don't use it that often so I'm going to go get some.

On an offside.... I'm used to finding many bulk spices and grains in Canada which I can't find here. There are only a few "health food" stores, and they're only in a certain location in the city. Coincidently in the same areas a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Might I say the "upscale" neighbourhoods? Another interesting aspect of the City of St. Louis!

Pearl barley I can find here no problem. But I agree about the bulk spices and grains availability.... or lack thereof. Where is a Bulk Barn when you need one? My husband tells me that the organic and health food stores, and great delis, are always found near a university in the US. The Whole Foods, here, is definitely in an upscale area. And also an hour away.

If I won the lottery I would open a beautiful indoor market with lots of windows and stone floors. It would have separate specialty shops such as a butcher, a baker, a wine shop, a cheese shop, a fruit & veg shop, a fish monger, a flower shop, a grains shop, a coffee & tea shop, a deli, a spice shop, a kitchen gadget shop, a pottery shop.... sigh. That would be my idea of heaven.

I loved Canadian Smarties when I was a kid! I grew up in New York State right near the border with Ontario. I did not realize that Smarties were a different candy from M&Ms; I just thought they were a different name given to the same candy. I always loved getting Smarties because they had an S on them so we could call them S&Ms. I also liked the purple ones. There are no purple M&Ms.

I must confess---I opened this thread to see if Smarties were mentioned, so great is my nostalgia for the days of calling the S&Ms.

we have Harris Teeter here in town. They suck they don't have hardly anything "international". Its probably a regional thing. They had Canadian cheddar cheese once. It was $10 for a small chunk!

I'm really confused. Are you updating the spreadsheet Krikit? When I check on the link, there is no Nabob on there. I don't know if it's not been added, or something with my computer when I open the spreadsheet?

Yes, I've been updating it. Nabob is on line 56. Would it help if I made it a separate item? I don't mind if people prefer it that way.

(I'm trying to modify the post below, and it won't let me delete this one)

Ugh Smarties were horrid things I remember. Used to have them in car rides and those things would leak their pigment all over the place. I did know a girl here from England and had a Smarties mug and was surprised they had them in Canada being that they are British. I had to tell her a lot of British things come across into Canada, just not into the US. She said you can get them at British Import stores, so you might want to check if you have one in your town.

Still I recall the Canadian M&M commercial when I was a kid and how true it was "M&Ms melt in your mouth not in your hands"...