Green

What Does It Mean?

Trying to identify exactly where a product is made is no easy task! Here are a few things to consider:

In general, imported goods to the US must be labeled with their country of origin. But this is by no means clear when a product is produced by several countries, including ours!
"Made in the USA" means that a all or mostly all of the primary parts of a product are made here.
"Certified made in the USA," though can be tricky. If various parts of the product are imported but assembled in the US, then we "certify" it as made here.
Produce packaged must have country labels, but loose bins of produce do not.
Brand names and images on products which include "American," states, or other US locales are absolutely irrelevant. Pennsylvanian Dutchman mushrooms, for instance, are made in China.
Many products can be produced in the US, sent abroad for processing, and then reimported, all without clear labels. (See the fine print.) Alaskan salmon can go to Thailand for boning, US beans can go to Mexico for cleaning, etc.
For cars to be considered American-made, at least 75% of the value of the car must be made in the US, Canada, or Mexico. Therefore, Mexican-produced automobiles can be "American made." Too, Ford produces cars like the Fusion and Milan which are produced outside of the country.
"Designed in," "Packaged in," "Assembled in," etc. are all different; "created in" is so vague that a consumer can't tell what part of the process "created" occurs in. A product will say "Assembled in the US" if the last major "transformation" occurred here, regardless of the rest of the process.

Made In America