Clark Howard: 100% Made in the USA

Consumer expert and syndicated radio host Clark Howard’s website recently released a post titled, “Here Are 100+ Brands That Are 100% Made in the USA.”

As Americans have become increasingly aware of the vast amount of their everyday goods that are manufactured overseas, Howard’s “Team Clark” website has provided an extensive list of brands and stores that are entirely manufactured in the United States of America.

“In a time when so many of our goods are made overseas, it’s nice to be reminded of brands and retailers that sell merchandise 100% made in the USA,” wrote Charis Brown at the website. “When you buy American, you help to keep local businesses strong and support domestic job growth at the same time.”

In providing the list, Brown also noted, “Team Clark is adamant that we will never write content influenced by or paid for by an advertiser.”

The list is divided into the following categories: Clothing; Jeans and Denim; Handbags, Accessories & Jewelry; Shoes and Footwear; Beauty and Personal Care; Cookware & Home; Furniture; Electronics; Tools; and Other.

Howard’s website also provides links to the “made in the USA” section of popular e-commerce websites, and invites readers to inform its team of American-made products they may have missed.

In March 2017, Howard himself wrote, “More and more Americans want to buy American. In fact, the higher up the income ladder someone is, the more likely their focus will be on buying American.”

“So there was a time when we didn’t believe in the ‘Made in America’ label,” the popular host continued. “Today, however, there’s the belief that it stands for quality. But at which price to the general safety of the public at large?”

Consumer Reports warned in 2015 that some manufacturers have claimed their good are “Made in the USA,” when they are actually made elsewhere.

The report notes the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) standards on use of the label “Made in USA” allow it to take action against companies making misleading claims:

All or almost all of a product bearing the label must be of U.S. origin, i.e., it should contain no foreign content (or a negligible amount) and its final assembly or processing must take place within the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or U.S. territories and possessions.

But the standards also allow manufacturers to make “qualified” claims for products that aren’t entirely of domestic origin. One example: a GE refrigerator with 87 percent U.S. content.

“It’s often a question of context,” said Julia Solomon Ensor, a lawyer for the FTC. “A product may convey that it’s made in the USA, with a huge American flag on the package, but then there will be a tiny qualifier saying it consists of 100 percent imported parts.”

Additionally, some products entirely manufactured in the United States are not advertised as such, so consumers are wise to do their research.