Where to Find Made in America Products

(NewsSpace.com) – Buying American-made products helps support American businesses and workers. It’s a wonderful way to show your patriotism and help the economy. However, the marketplace is full of products from other countries. It can be tough to weed through them and find those products made in America.

Luckily, there are resources out there to help you find these items. Here’s how to ensure what you buy is made right here in the old US of A.

How to Identify American-Made Products

You’ll need to change the way you shop because it’s not always easy to identify the origins of something you wish to buy. Even if you do find a product with a label that says it was made here, it may be misleading. To figure out the label, you need to understand the law.

According to Money Crashers, the Federal Trade Commission’s rule on including the “Made in America” wording on a product only requires that most of the content is made in the US. It does not regulate other labels, such as “Designed in America” or “Assembled in America.” The FTC also does not limit the use of symbolism that might be misleading, such as an American flag emblem.

A manufacturer is not required by law to label its products as made in the US, except for textiles, wool items, and automobiles. So, you may not even be able to tell by the label where a product originated.

With all these hurdles, you may wonder to find true American-made goods. There are a couple of ways to do this.

How to Find Goods Made in America

The first approach you can take to finding USA-made goods is to learn about American companies that manufacture their products here. Many will outsource their manufacturing to foreign companies, so even if a company is located in the US, it’s not a guarantee its products are made here.

The problem with this method is many manufacturers will build some products or parts of products in the US but get other products or parts from foreign manufacturing. The reality is there are few companies creating 100% American-made products.

You will find only very specific industries can offer 100% American-made for their whole product line. For example, furniture is often made completely in one facility, such as the furniture from Vermont Wood Studios.

With that in mind, your best bet for finding goods made in America is through resources that provide lists of USA-made products. The good news is there are many websites available with this information:

Unfortunately, buying American-made products requires a little more diligence than a trip to Target or Walmart. It’s not always as simple as checking the label. If you’re passionate about buying only goods made in the country, then you’ll have to do your research. But, the good news is there are still many companies working hard to keep manufacturing here at home. By buying their goods, you help support that goal.