Made In America?

[carolelaine]

I was trying to find shrimp that was from America on Tuesday and it wasn't easy, this morning there was a show on the radio discussing the new trend "American Made" in retailing, and how the problem with quality of Chinese imports and the trend to buy food locally has influenced this. So, I was wondering if it important to you to buy products from America, and if so is it more important lately? If you're not from America, is it important for you to buy locally?

 

[Renee Attili]

Heck yes!!!!!!!!! That is one of the most important things when I a shopping different products. If I have the option between made overseas or made in the USA I'm USA all the way!!!!!

 

[buckytom]

me too, renee.

i have always looked to see if i could buy something american (or even canadian) made, but it's getting tougher and tougher.

in fact, it's almost a pleasent surprise when i see the label nowadays.

with the exception of fish, most of the foods i buy are american, unless i'm trying to make something ethnicly particular.

 

[GrillingFool]

Made in America...
from components manufactured in China, Indonesia, Mexico
and Mars.

Almost impossible to buy "American" anymore.... but I still try!

 

[middie]

If at all possible I'll buy American. Othertimes it's not so easy. You know what's sad ? My mom went on a cruise and it stopped in Puerto Rico. She got my sister, herself and I matching windchimes. They're beautiful. But guess what ??? They were made in China ! Pretty bad when even things in Puerto Rico are made in China. I just hope they don't contain lead paint.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

It's true. Even in souvenir shops, where the basic idea is that you are buying something from that place as a remembrance, 99% of the stuff has a made in China sticker on the bottom!

 

[carolelaine]

Maybe if the trend toward American made products continues it won't be so hard to find products from here. If as they are saying, a lot of people would pay more for American Made products, it seems that it would be an incentive to bring home some of our manufacturing.

 

[Jeekinz]

When I was in Puerto Rico, the only thing made there was the Baccardi. Too much tourism...what happened to the sugar cane fields and the rest of the country?

 

[buckytom]

Maybe if the trend toward American made products continues it won't be so hard to find products from here. If as they are saying, a lot of people would pay more for American Made products, it seems that it would be an incentive to bring home some of our manufacturing.

sadly, the difference in manufacturing price is far too great. are any americans willing to work for a few yuan, 12 hours a day? and that's just the kids' work schedule.

 

[Robo410]

very important. I try to buy seasonal and local first. I try to buy wild over farmed about 1/2 the time for the variety and the differences that come with each. For manufactured items, I've been saying for some time the American and Euro made are better quallity and yes, higher priced than the Chinese. But it's the quality. We know about lead paint on toys? What's under or in the enamelling of their cast iron? Does anyone test that?

 

[carolelaine]

There is a very interesting web site that was mentioned this morning called madeinamerica.com. It's worth a peek.

 

[Andy M.]

I try to make my money go as far as I can. As a result, before I make a significant purchase, I research the item, read reviews and check Consumer Reports. I base purchase decisions on quality, performance and bang for the buck. Sometimes, that means I buy foreign-made items.

As others have mentioned, fewer and fewer items are Made in USA. That's because the entire country has been shifting away from a manufacturing based economy to a services based economy for a long time. More workers in the US have jobs that provide a service than jobs where they make something. That's because Americans make more money so the products they manufacture cost more. You may dislike the idea of paying for Chinese made dog food but would you be willing to pay 2-3 times as much for that dog food because it was made here? Extend that to all the things you buy and all of a sudden, your standard of living is a lot lower that it used to be.

This is a pervasive situation from automobiles to kid's toys and dog food. It's been decades since TVs were made in the USA. All the brands are Japanese, Korean or European. You don't have an American made alternative.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

I think one of the reasons we are all so concerned about this is because of the unfair import/export laws. I don't have a big issue with where a quality product comes from except when other countries are allowed to flood our markets with their products and these same countries limit and even ban American products in their countries.

 

[Andy M.]

I think one of the reasons we are all so concerned about this is because of the unfair import/export laws. I don't have a big issue with where a quality product comes from except when other countries are allowed to flood our markets with their products and these same countries limit and even ban American products in their countries.

I agree. In some cases, we have tacken action to get fair trade policies implemented for our products, but it's not equal footing in all cases.

 

[ironchef]

I buy whatever is the best possible product. Where it is from is no consequence to me, as long as it tastes the best.

 

[GotGarlic]

As Andy said, the economy is changing and people have to change with it. This issue is more complicated than it appears on the surface and there are some misconceptions about what's going on. This article explains some of it very well: Made Everywhere | The Foundation for Economic Education: The Freeman, Ideas on Liberty

 

[BreezyCooking]

I have to admit that I'm VERY particular about where my food comes from - especially seafood - but not so much other products.