Buying Wheatgrass Juice And It’s Tax Status In Canada

CRA-Horizontal-DG-3068Canadians don’t tax basic groceries because they are considered to be a necessity for subsistence. What does that mean? It means that foods that are used to maintain and sustain life are purchased without tax. It does not mean that every consumer buys the particular food item or that it is available in every store.

When you purchase our wheatgrass juice, you are purchasing a food product that is used to maintain and sustain life. As a result, our wheatgrass juice is not taxed. The technical term is “zero-rated”. You can view the definition on Canada Revenue Agency’s page dedicated to groceries, but the gist of it follows that “basic groceries” and their ingredients qualify as zero-rated.

The Canada Revenue Agency defines basic groceries as:

“The terms “food” and “beverage” are not defined in the Act. However, the CRA considers a product to be a food or beverage if an average consumer would recognize and purchase the product as such in the ordinary course of buying basic groceries. Consumers usually consume food and beverages to sustain or maintain life, to allay hunger or thirst, or for enjoyment rather than for therapeutic or preventative effects (e.g., to correct actual or perceived health problems) or to achieve specific beneficial benefits related to performance or physique.”

This definition is confusing because of the use of the terms “ordinary” and “basic groceries” suggests a group of specific food staples. However, these terms simply mean items purchased to among other things, maintain and sustain life.

Wheatgrass juice is hard to make and as a result, not enough stores sell it. You can buy wheatgrass here until they do. This lower degree of availability reduces the profile of wheatgrass juice but it does not alter the simple fact that it is food. Like all foods, the benefits of wheatgrass juice are unspecific and broad based.

We’ll admit that wheatgrass is not normally purchased for enjoyment, but it is always purchased for the core benefit of sustaining and maintaining life. A 2010 article from the Globe and Mail reported this quotation from a 2007 memorandum on how the now-implemented Harmonized Sales Tax would determine the status of basic groceries:

“If a product’s tax status is in doubt, the CRA will consider the manner in which the product is displayed, labelled, packaged, invoiced and advertised to determine its tax status…”

The tax status of wheatgrass juice has never been in doubt; however, it is still sensible to ensure that everyone respects the position of the CRA. We know that our customers seek our wheatgrass juice because:

  • wheatgrass is a singularly life sustaining food
  • we grow it outdoors where mother nature nurtures the plant
  • we never use chemicals like herbicides and pesticides that compromise the plant
  • we leave it biologically active by never processing it with damaging techniques like pasteurization, pascalization (HPP), irradiation, etc.

The average consumer recognizes wheatgrass as food without any specific health claims. This is important because if the average consumer comes to expect a specific health claim, a food turns into a taxable dietary supplement. When a company says something like “protein powder builds muscle mass” it is a taxable dietary supplement. When a company says “glucosamine sulphate relieves joint pain” it is a taxable dietary supplement.

Wheatgrass juice has many nutritional benefits and your body obviously appreciates it. After all, your entire body runs only on water, air and food. However, it is consumed for maximum nutrition, not specific health result. We put it in and the body works it out.

Can you think of anything taxable that you require for everyday life? Do you think the statement “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” would make apples taxable? Do you think that the milk marketing boards statement “milk does a body good” makes it taxable? Get in touch with us at DynamicGreens to start a conversation!

Wheatgrass Juice vs. Spirulina: Battle of the Superfood Titans!

When it comes to natural drinks, wheatgrass juice and spirulina juice have substantial benefits for health-conscious individuals. Both are widely celebrated and have earned the classification of “superfoods” for their ability to benefit the human body in many ways. However, are these two titans of the health world created equal? Is one better for you than the other? Which would triumph when we examine their strengths in detail?

Often referred to as an herb, spirulina is a blue-green algae found in freshwater rivers, ponds, and lakes. Spectacularly rich with nutrients, it boasts high levels of phosphorous, zinc, magnesium, iron, calcium, and potassium. Spirulina also contains protein and B vitamins as well as vitamins E, K1 and K2.

It contains antioxidants, which are your body’s first line of defense against free radicals, and its Gamma-linolenic acid content allows it to act as an anti-inflammatory agent. Spirulina’s high concentration of chlorophyll found may also provide a natural way for your body to detoxify itself. The Haelan Centre includes spirulina among its recommended remedies for Premenstrual Syndrome, if you’d like to check out related dietary strategies.

In contrast to its aquatic counterpart, wheatgrass juice is ultimately a product of the soil. It goes by the name of Triticum aestivum, also colloquially known as the young grass of the wheat plant. It can be found in temperate regions throughout the United States and Europe; it can be grown indoors or outdoors. Hardly a slouch itself, wheatgrass juice possesses seriously positive qualities. It boasts vitamins A, C, E, and B complex (including B12); it also contains magnesium, selenium, cobalt, zinc, germanium, sulfur, calcium, iron and amino acids.

Wheatgrass juice contains notable amounts of chlorophyll, and even has been touted as an aid against indigestion. This study reports that it increases the oxygen content in blood, which provides an excellent aid in stimulating circulation. We’d love to see more in-depth research done on sueprfoods like this.

In some quarters, wheatgrass juice is even claimed to help alleviate certain conditions. Frankly, we think something is worth drinking just to solve bad breath. In all cases, use your best judgment and remember that exercising daily and eating a healthy diet remains the best way to lose weight and improve your overall health.

Wheatgrass and spirulina are both heavy hitters when it comes to health benefits, they’re terrific for you in liquid form, and make they excellent additions to smoothies. What’s our recommendation? Why pit two “superfood” titans against each other at all when they both contain so many nutrients?

Alternate between them or make each a regular part of your daily regimen! Try them both and discover your preferences between the two if you can’t incorporate both into your daily diet. Do you have a preference for either of them? Do you use both together? Let us know today at Dynamic Greens!

UPS Shipping Update

A woman standing in front of a ups delivery truck.

Updates will be posted on this page. UPS has been an unfailing partner for more than 20 years and we remain committed to working with them through the high volume shipping challenges of Covid-19.

CANADA

July 11, 2020
We shipped several packages successfully July 6th – 10th. That means shipping is resuming next week in all areas except Quebec and the Ottawa region. That area continues to experience delays. You can finally place your orders again!

Please note that we are not going to ship every box on Monday. We will ease them out through the week so we can continue to evaluate the deliveries and reduce the risk of loss.

To our friends in Quebec and Ottawa, we will continue to montor the situation and let you know the moment we can ship.

July 1, 2020
Happy Canada Day to all. Things are looking up with UPS. Here is the latest statement from our rep:

“the word now is that UPS hopes to update the time in transit back to pre-Covid in Ontario next week (July 6). Guarantees for air is planned to be back in place 1st week of July. I am still told Quebec is not caught up like the Toronto Hub is and you will need to check by postal code on our website as it is getting updated daily.

June 16, 2020
No changes since the June 8, 2020 update below.

June 8, 2020
UPS is unable to accomplish on-time deliveries which is required for perishable products. What follows is paraphrased information from our representative:

“UPS has stopped picking up from major shippers until we can clear out what is stuck in the system. It is not clear yet. I will let you know when it is safe to ship.”

ALL PROVINCES EXCEPT ONTARIO

We cannot deliver outside of Ontario at this time. To be notified the moment this changes, please join our text list here https://www.dynamicgreens.com/wheatgrass-juice-store-sms/

ONTARIO

We are doing our own deliveries in Ontario. Generally this is happening on Wednesday and Friday. The map below shows the appropriate coverage area. If you are in Ontario and outside the delivery map, please join our text notification list here https://www.dynamicgreens.com/wheatgrass-juice-store-sms/

ONTARIO DELIVERY MAP

UNITED STATES

We are shipping normally with 2 adjustments.

First, we are paying for premium shipping to ensure good delivery. This costs us more; however, we have chosen to absorb the cost rather than pass it through to our customers.

Second, even with premium shipping, many deliveries are arriving 1 day later than normal. Our shipping boxes have an extra day of delivery in them so this should not be an issue.

Field Grown Wheatgrass vs Greenhouse Grown Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass Outdoor vs Indoor

Customer Question

I am super curious as to why your juice tastes and smells so different to home or greenhouse grown wheatgrass juice. I’ve grown my own juice for a while and just purchased my first batch of your juice and was shocked at how different it tastes. It’s a milder and more “salad like” taste. A good thing, but makes me wonder what the difference is. Do you know for certain that the juice you produce is more nutrient dense than normal homegrown wheatgrass?

The Answer

The two major tastes of bitterness and sweetness are not present in the natural wheatgrass plant and therefore, are not found in our juice. These tastes are not natural, they are created by growing wheatgrass in an artificial environment. Let’s explore these:

Bitterness

This is caused by mold growing with the plant. Having mold is virtually 100% guaranteed in the greenhouse. It’s presence has nothing to do with whether or not someone is a conscientious grower. Mold spores cover ever square inch of the planet. The question is simply whether or not you create an environment conducive to mold growth. The greenhouse does and it simply isn’t controllable although it can be reduced with good management. Mold is strange stuff. It’s presence can range from virtually non-existent to terribly overgrown. Types can be blue-green, white whispy, brown or black. They can be highly poisonous or non-pathenogenic. What molds do is create a bitter taste and when present, they also releases poisons called mycotoxins. Mycotoxis are unusual in that an identical wheatgrass drink can have a serious negative affect in some individuals and for others, the exact same juice won’t affect them at all.

Mold presence is easy to spot. It creates bitterness in taste, holding your nose due to a protesting orafactory sense (not specifically due to bad smell), dizziness after ingestion, instant splitting headache, nausea and with many over 4 fl oz of consumption may cause them to vomit. These things have frequently been incorrectly characterized as “detox” when in fact they are low grade food poisoning. Bitterness is not present in our juice because there are no detectable molds and of course, also no negative side-effects.

Sweetness

Sugar levels in juice are rated in Brix. Outdoor grown wheatgrass juice tests at 0 Brix (no sugar). Tray grown wheatgrass juice tests anywhere between 5 Brix and 20 Brix. 1 Brix equals approximately 1.5% sugar and wheatgrass juice grown in the greenhouse will normally have about 15% sugar. In the field, these simple sugars convert to complex carbohydrates and our juice is test as sugar free.

Exact Nutritional Differences

No one knows the exact differences between any products. What we have are certain markers (say Vitamin C) but it is a gross exageration for anyone to declare full knowledge based upon a few markers. What I have done is attach a picture of wheatgrass grown outdoors vs grown indoors. You will see that the plants look nothing alike. However, the plants in both photos are ours and they were grown with the same seed. The outdoor field grown photograph is from one of our fields, the indoor grown grass for a photo shoot we commissioned.

You just need to know that nutrition in the plant is formed when it responds to its external environment. In nature, when the wind blows, plants strengthen their root system. When it is cold, the roots release potassium into the plant. When precipitation is low, the nutrients become more densely packed. When it rains, the plants absorb water and in the case of wheatgrass, the juice sweetens. The differences are literally infinite!

When we look at the markets, most nutrients run 10% – 20% higher while others can be as high as 50% higher or more. Here is a link to the most complete greenhouse grass testing ever done https://goo.gl/KnLAkv and here is a link to our nutrition facts testing https://goo.gl/hpuFxI. In this case, the potassium level for indoor grasses is 42mg / oz. In our testing, the potassium was 162mg / oz or 285% higher. Iron indoors is 0.17 mg / oz. Iron outdoors is 0.3 mg / oz or 70% higher. Just a couple of examples, you can check out the rest on your own. Remember that testing is just a snapshot of a point in time. There will always be variations and you are simply looking for trends.

Even given this info, you don’t buy our wheatgrass juice because it has better nutritionals. There are tremendous benefits in tray grown wheatgrass too! You buy our juice because it has great quality, the price is awesome and most important, it is mold free which improves its taste and tolerance. Someone can’t benefit from wheatgrass juice if they can’t drink it!

How Do You Freeze Wheatgrass Juice

Wheatgrass-Freezing-Power

We start with 11,000 gallons (41,639 liters) of liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen is stored at -321 Fahrenheit (-196 Celcius). The power of our freezing system is staggering and one of the most important factors in helping us achieve the juice quality we seek.

Drinking Wheatgrass Juice At The Farm

Wheatgrass Washing In Slow Motion

This 34 second slow-motion video is just 2 seconds of real-time. We wash and agitate the wheatgrass extremely well in sanitizing and safe ozonated water. Afterwards, the grass is rinsed with fresh well water at a rate of 22 gallons (83 litres) per minute.

Ellen In Adele’s Ear

Adele enjoys some wheatgrass in the most unconventional way in this comedy piece from the Ellen Degeneres show. Enjoy!

Question About Wheatgrass Delivery

wheatgrass-questions-and-answers

How much extra is it to ship to Canada?

Nothing. Our prices never have extra charges. The prices you see are all inclusive and in the currency of the delivery country. We always includes everything required to get it to you overnight with no surprise extra shipping fees, duties or taxes. You can see our prices here:

See Packages / Prices

How does the wheatgrass juice stay frozen during the shipping process?

All shipments are delivered overnight, so they come quickly. The boxes are well insulated, have lots of ice and have 1.5 days of ship life in them. If it is delivered to your home and opened when you return from the office, everything will be well frozen.

Does the frozen wheatgrass have all of the same benefits as fresh wheatgrass never frozen?

Frozen wheatgrass is dramatically superior to the greenhouse grasses that you refer to as fresh. It is much more accurately described as being field grown wheatgrass vs greenhouse grown wheatgrass. We only field grow and our juice has 10% to 50% more nutrients (ie. iron is 10%, chlorophyll is 50%), no simple sugars (roughly 15% in the greenhouse) and no molds (all greenhouse grass have mold issues). This makes it more nutritious, sugar free and far better tasting and tolerated.

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