Red, White and Gray
Unfortunately, the “virtually all” nomenclature is vague at best, and thus, products can easily be mislabeled.
According to a March 2008 Consumer Reports primer entitled, “Made in the USA? The Truth Behind the Labels,” there are a lot of cooks in the regulatory kitchen, so to speak, including the FTC, the Food and Drug Administration, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “The federal agencies (there are at least five) that oversee and enforce the rules on what’s ‘made in the USA’ don’t always see eye-to-eye,” it read.
Because of the delightful subtleties of the English language, and the fact that labeling confusion can arise in various places along the item’s production cycle, here are a few salient points to remember, culled from the FTC’s report, “Complying with the Made in the USA Standard,” as well as information from Consumer Reports.
- People:
- George Gaida