The United States is once again trying to put an end to the ritual of changing the clocks twice a year.

The House of Representatives has passed legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent, leaving the Senate to decide whether Americans should remain on summer time throughout the year.

CHARLEBOIS: Permanent daylight time could change how we eat Back to video

What looks like a simple adjustment to the clock could have consequences reaching well beyond sleep schedules. It could also change when, where and how people buy and consume food — and Canada cannot afford to treat the debate as someone else’s problem.

Ontario has been waiting for this moment. In 2020, the province passed legislation permitting permanent daylight time, but made implementation dependent on coordination with Quebec and New York. That caution was justified.

Ontario’s food economy is deeply integrated with both jurisdictions. Trucks carrying produce, meat and processed foods cross borders according to tightly managed delivery appointments. Warehouses, processing plants, grocery stores and restaurants operate on synchronized schedules. A one-hour difference may sound trivial, but in a perishable supply chain, small complications multiply quickly.

If Washington ultimately adopts permanent........

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