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The Results....

On Friday, I challenged you to log all of your purchases, and pay attention to the country of origin. For me, this was not a shopping filled weekend. However, it was full of food and beverages.

Friday night, I enjoyed a meal at a local chain. Of course, the menu said nothing about where the food came from. Saturday, I dined at a French restaurant. My food was from the U.S.,  but the house wine was made in France. The list of American wines was lacking.

Sunday’s lunch was the same as Friday’s dinner. I’m assuming my food originated from the States. However, the menu lacked country of origin information, I’m not sure.

This lack of information made me start thinking about food guidelines. Recently, the State of California enacted legislation requiring restaurant chains of a certain size to post nutritional information on their menu. The State should expand this legislation to include country of origin information for meats and poultry. 

Proudly Made in Mexico...

The SRX (Proudly Made in Mexico) 

I don’t recall a time during my childhood that at least one of my parents didn’t drive a Cadillac. I remember hearing, “Why buy a Mercedes when you can buy American.”

Fast-forward 20 years.

General Motors, the manufacturer of Cadillac is manufacturing its SRX Luxury Crossover in Mexico. To make matters worse, General Motors allowing consumers to believe that the vehicle was made domestically.

Imagine you are at an auto show. You are walking and see the Cadillac booth. Someone asks you, “Where is this SRX manufactured?”  The odds are, you are going to respond, “In America.” Not the case. The SRX is a product of Mexico.

However, the GM people mislead consumers into believing the SRX is made in America. They do this by taking the Country of Origin stickers off their display cars.

If you ask me, that’s pretty messed up. 

What is this AALA Everyone is Talking About?

General Motors, you are not above the law. 

If you’ve read the news this week, you know that the Made in the USA Foundation is charging General Motors with violating the American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA). To make a long story short, GM decided that the law doesn’t apply to them.  The U.S. automaker stripped auto-show display vehicles of country of origin labels. This way, auto-show consumers would have no idea that the latest GM vehicles were manufactured off-shore.

This brings me to the AALA.  Many consumers are unaware of the AALA, but are surrounded by its benefits on a daily basis. Have you ever noticed the sticker on your car window that says where your car was manufactured? That is because of the AALA. The AALA requires new cars to provide information on the window sticker, including where the car was assembled, the U.S. and other country content, where the engine was made and where the transmission was made.

Regardless of what vehicle you choose to buy, you the consumer should be informed. General Motors stripping labels off of display vehicles denied you of your right to be informed. Not cool. 

General Motors On Notice

American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA) requires all new cars that are offered for sale to include country of origin information. The Made in the USA Foundation is charging General Motors of violating the AALA. GM is stripping country of origin labels off of its cars at auto shows around the country. The Foundation has given GM notice that it intends to file suit for these violation of law.

It is bad enough that General Motors is hiding the fact that it has moved production of vehicles offshore. What makes this worse is that GM is a bailout company. Remember the bailout? U.S. Taxpayers saved GM. Our Federal Government still owns a part of the company. Yet, the auto manufacturer makes the Buick Regal in Germany.

           

According to GM, AALA only applies to cars for sale at dealers not at auto shows. Made in the USA Chairman Joel Joseph responded, “Millions of consumers get their first look at cars at auto shows.  The law applies to cars that are ‘for sale’ and auto show car, except concept cars, that are for sale at thousands of dealers across the nation should include country of origin information.  The U.S. government saved G.M. and still owns one-third of the company.  General Motors should comply with the intent of the law.

Shame on you, General Motors. 

Read Labels

Earlier this week, I came across an article on the Wisconsin State Journal’s website. Essentially, in about 150 words, the author discussed the origin of his Christmas presents. Karl Schwenk stated, “I just looked at my Christmas presents to see where they were manufactured. Three tools were manufactured in China. Of the clothing, one item each was manufactured in Indonesia, Bangladesh and Jordan. A meat thermometer, a CD, chocolate and a beer-making kit were made in the U.S.A.”  (To see the full article click here.)

This inspired me to do the same as Kark. Of the five clothing items I received, not a single one was made in the USA. Granted, three of the five items were made by European designers.  However, I was disappointed to find that my A.B.S. by Allen Schwartz dress was Made in India. I honestly thought that Allen Schwartz, an American designer, manufactured his clothing in the U.S..

I’m not going to digress about why we should by things that are manufactured domestically. However, I would like this to serve as a reminder to check the labels. If nothing else, check labels for your own personal knowledge. If you give your money to a company that manufactures abroad, give it knowingly. 

Eat Local in 2011

With the New Year, comes a New Year’s resolution. In my case, my resolution is to live a healthier lifestyle. I realize resolving to live a healthier lifestyle is a resolution with many facets. The most obvious way to live a healthier lifestyle is to eat better. After doing some research, it occurred to me that the easiest way to achieve this goal is through a diet full of local foods. 

According to Men’s Health Magazine, “local produce from small purveyors is generally fresher. Research from Iowa State University shows that while a local Iowa apple travels only 61 miles, a conventional supermarket apple travels 1,726 miles.”( Click Here for the Full Article)

The USDA reports that in 2009 6,132 farmers markets operated in the U.S.. By buying local foods, you are eating healthier foods and supporting U.S. farmers. To me, this looks like a win-win situation to me. So, this year, resolve to live healthier by eating local. 

Visit the USDA website to find a farmer's market near you.

Ray Ban Needs to Learn a Lesson from Neiman Marcus!

Two Thumbs Up Neiman Marcus! 

I am angry.

Today, I attempted to do some online shopping. I soon realized that a number of online retailers make it quite difficult for consumers to find the origin of the products they sell. How hard is it to add where a product was manufactured to the item’s description.

For instance, I was searching for a new pair of sunglasses. I found my way to Ray-Ban.com. One would thing that Ray Ban, the manufacturer of the most iconic American eyewear, would clearly label the origin of a pair of aviators. No. Instead, I spent 20 minutes searching for a place of origin for the glasses. I got frustrated and quit. On the upside, I saved myself a $150.00.

I was pleasantly surprised when I visited Dallas based retailer Neiman Marcus’ website. The retailer includes the item’s origin in the bullet-pointed item description. As an added bonus, the first two pairs of leggings I clicked on were made in the USA.   Ironically, Neiman Marcus clearly labeled the origin of the Ray Ban aviators I was looking at on the Ray-Ban site. In case you were wondering, the glasses are made in Italy.  

Some Advice for the New Year

In keeping with this week’s New Year’s Resolution theme, I have some food for thought.

In the upcoming year, think about your purchases. Don’t just buy with abandon. Look at labels. If you are unsure of a products origin, call the manufacturer. Asking where a product you are about to buy comes from is a legitimate question.

Also, if you find a retailer is not supplying enough products that are Made in the USA, speak up. For instance, next time you are at Wal-Mart, let customer service know that you want more American products. If you the consumer doesn’t speak up, retailers will continue to infiltrate our shelves with products made in China.

Take a stand in 2011 and demand domestically manufactured products. 

Two Thumbs Up, New Balance!

New Year’s Day is rearing its head. With the New Year, comes New Year’s resolutions. According to USA.gov, popular resolutions include “Get Fit” and “Loose Weight.” For me, getting inspired to work out sometimes involves a new pair of sneakers.

Click here to visit New Balance's website

When sneaker shopping, consider buying a pair of New Balance sneakers from the USA Collection.

Although the entire New Balance line is not manufactured domestically, the shoe manufacturer clearly labels its shoes. New Balance distinguishes between Made in the USA and Assembled in the USA. If the Domestic Value of the shoe is greater than 70%, the show is “Made in the USA.”

Thank you New Balance for providing consumers who care with the information they need to make buying decisions.

For more information on New Balance’s USA Collection, please visit  www.shopnewbalance.com 

Seasons Greetings from Made in the USA Foundation!

Looks like there is plenty of room for domestic jobs. 

As you enjoy your holiday, I urge to remember this short story. According to a recent 60 Minutes, Indiana gas stations won’t accept payments from State credit cards.  Apparently, the State of Illinois doesn’t have enough money to pay their bills.

Maybe, if more products were made in the U.S.A., then Americans would have more jobs. With more jobs come tax dollars paid to the government. With more tax dollars, the State of Illinois could pay its credit card bills. 

Seasons Greetings! 

UPDATE: The FEED Bag Controversy

Last week, various news outlets reported that Gap mislabeled a number of bags in the FEED Collection. Recent updates show that this isn’t exactly what occurred.

Gap mislabeled the origin of the bags. However, the mislabeling occurred on store signs, not on the bag’s label.  According to CNN.com, “The bags were displayed next to a sign explaining the FEED USA campaign, which invited shoppers to ‘buy the limited edition bags and we'll donate $5 to our nation's school lunch programs.’ Stamped on the sign was a ‘Made in USA’ logo, which was true of most of the collection's bags, except for the denim bags in question, which bore "Made in China" tags.”

Gap’s misleading signage has sparked a nationwide debate. Is it OK for Gap exploit American patriotism by selling products made from overseas labor? A Gap spokesperson stated that Gap is donating $150,000 to U.S. school lunch programs. My question is, if Gap manufactured more products on U.S. soil, would a $150,000 donation to school lunch programs be necessary?

Furthermore, according to Gap Inc.’s Fiscal Year2009 Annual Statement, Gap’s sales (Gap North America, Banana Republic North America, Old Navy, International and Gap Inc. International) reached $5.5 billion. United States sales contributed approximately $3.5 Billion of $5.5 billion. [Some Food For Thought: Gap is donating $1 for approximately every $2.3 million U.S. consumers spent in fiscal year 2009.]

Maybe instead of focusing on misleading signage, U.S. consumers should question Gap executives as to why U.S. consumers are spending billions of dollars on Gap products, yet the bulk of the products are manufactured overseas.