The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA or Act), enacted in 1967, directs the Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Administration to issue regulations requiring that all "consumer commodities" be labeled to disclose net contents, identity of commodity, and name and place of business of the product's manufacturer, packer, or distributor. The Act authorizes additional regulations where necessary to prevent consumer deception (or to facilitate value comparisons) with respect to descriptions of ingredients, slack fill of packages, use of "cents-off" or lower price labeling, or characterization of package sizes. The Office of Weights and Measures of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce, is authorized to promote to the greatest practicable extent uniformity in State and Federal regulation of the labeling of consumer commodities.1
The canyon-wide loop hole
The Act is useless regarding “name and place of business of the product's manufacturer” since, per the act, this information need not be disclosed as long as a distributor is listed.
It is clear that the distributors use multiple vendors to produce the same product, but the distributors should be obliged to list the PLACE of manufacture.
All things being about equal, I will buy Made in the U.S.A. before I will by a foreign-made product, regardless of country of origin. (I will pay 200% more for a “Made in the U.S.A.” product over an import, but a 10% or event 20% difference may be acceptable.)
If it goes into my mouth
If something goes into my mouth, be it veggies, mouthwash, toothpaste, fish and meat, even garlic for seasoning, I want to know the product’s origin.
I don’t want to eat fish that was fed human feces.
I don’t want to eat garlic fertilized with human feces.
I don’t want to eat something labeled one thing when it is another.
While the US Food & Drug Administration and the U.S. Trade Commission may not be 100% reliable, it is more likely to have inspected U.S.-produced products than imported products.
If a product, as this is keyed, onions are the focus of recalls, is found to be unsafe, the inspection agencies recall the product and publicize the recall. 2 In addition, many consumer groups also publish the recalls. The U.S. CDC raised the hue and cry regarding onions.3
Keeping kosher has its benefits.
The situation with onions first came to my attention on Kashrut.com.
I was “spared” Mad Cow Disease because sick animals cannot be slaughtered for kosher food.
Keeping kosher, sadly, does not protect me from tainted fish or garlic, although Kashrut.com watches lists from the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere usually warns me of suspect products before we buy them. Great resource, and free!
Clothes, toys, and more
Haband, the clothing-by-mail retailer, never lists the origin of products it sells. The buyer finds out when the product arrives (if it arrives.)
On two occasions articles sent from Haband via DHL “disappeared” then DHL was supposed to hand off delivery to the USPS in Orlando. USPS claims it never got the hand off. Despite a tracking ID from Haband, the product just “disappeared.”
What’s the big deal?
Flammability. Materials are supposed to be treated to reduce the chance they will catch fire. Most U.S.-made clothing will burn for a second or two, then the fire is out. (I gave up smoking because I had burn holes in my trousers; no fires. Sad and expensive experience.)
It was not long ago the flammability issue was raised with imported infant and child pajamas.
Likewise, in the not too distant past, the U.S. imported toys painted with lead-based paint, long outlawed in the U.S.
The “and more”? Fake wood flooring (formaldehyde)4 and drywall material (sulfur)5. Even automotive tires.6
That is not to claim that all “Made in the U.S.A.” products are safe and all foreign-made products are unsafe.
It IS to say that consumers should know where a product originates. If the product contains components from multiple points-of-origin, e.g., orange juice, the points (plural) of origin should be clearly shown in both advertising and on the product container.
If representatives and senators — on both sides of the aisle need to pass laws to force retail merchants — the Walmarts, Targets, CVSs and other pharmacies, Haband and other clothing retailers — to include the points (again, plural) of manufacture of each major component in the product.
Sources
1. Fair Packaging and Labeling Act: https://tinyurl.com/y9bgav5e
2. FDA recalls: https://tinyurl.com/y5kxnwbu
3. U.S. CDC: https://tinyurl.com/yxmocvnw
4. Flooring: https://tinyurl.com/yb86gfd3
5. Drywall: https://tinyurl.com/yb86gfd3
6. Tires: https://tinyurl.com/ybbohujo
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