With the government shutdown affecting everything from trips to national parks to NASA projects being halted, the Federal Trade Commission is running into some problems as well. Due to the shutdown, the FTC’s site is down; meaning the system in which companies are stopped from slapping generic “Made in USA” labels on their products isn’t working.
The FTC has specific guidelines for products to reach the “Made in USA Standard,” and the only way they know if a company is misusing the label is if a complaint is filed. Made in USA Certified aims to address this need for increased transparency and truth in labeling of products. By performing a full supply chain audit, where every component in a product is traced back to its original country of origin, Made in USA Certified dissects every product to find the exact percentage of US production and then recommends the appropriate seal.
Each seal then has its own unique identifying number, which tracks back to the audit documents. The ID number then protects companies from counterfeiting the seal. Although imported products are usually cheaper, they are often of lesser quality and at times even dangerous. Made in USA Certified aims to bring the use of fraudulent claims to light by providing a complementary service to what the FTC is currently doing.