There is a lot of confusion these days about what constitutes an American product, even though the Federal Trade Commission has given (mostly) clear guidelines which include defining “Made in the USA” with such phrases as “all or virtually all made in the United States.” Still, many companies peddling foreign products use all kinds of marketing tricks to entice patriotic shoppers.
For example, some companies plaster their product packaging with American flags and use patriotic words or phrases like the simple “USA” (usually accompanying an American flag) or “Distributed in the USA.” These devious marketing attempts do absolutely nothing to indicate that a product is “Made in the USA.” It is also an insult to those of us who try to keep our money in America through our consumer purchases.
One way to use the American flag in a way that actually matters is through U.S. veteran Rudi Ali’s website BuyOurUSA. Rudi Ali’s answer to alleviate the confusion is very straightforward. The more flags (one through five) applied to a product on the www.BuyOurUSA.com website, the more American a product really is. One flag means less American, two means more American, and so on. If five flags are designated for an item, that indicates it is among the most American you can buy.
The flag ranking of every product on the website includes considerations such as the percentage of American material, domestic labor, and national ownership (American-owned vs. foreign-owned) across over 1,233,000 (yes, that is over 1 million) manufacturers, distributors, and vendors in the supply chain. More than 117,000 of the products have over 3 flags, more than 3,500 have over 4 flags, but only 20 have 5 flags, which highlights how difficult it can be to buy a product that is 100% American.
Rudi Ali is an immigrant from Guyana who proudly served in the U.S. Army, which further instilled in him a love for America and its values and opportunities.
At BuyOurUSA.com, you can search from categories like Home & Garden, Grocery, Health & Beauty, Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry, Sports & Outdoors, and Tools, Auto & Industrial. You can also search by the number of flags (from one to five). To view all products available regardless of the number of flags designated, choose 1+ flags in the search box.
For example, you can find Davids Premium Natural Toothpaste, a favorite company of mine that I have written about in the past, under the Grocery, Health & Beauty category with 5 flags.
In the Home & Garden category with 3+ flags, you’ll find American-made Tervis tumblers, Fiesta brand dinnerware and tableware, All-Clad bakeware, Nordic bakeware, and other valuable and essential products like home AC filters.
If you have a particular brand you want to search for, you can see the entire vendor list and search for your favorite American products that way.
The BuyOurUSA.com website has been in the making for many years, giving consumers various ways to evaluate the patriotism behind the products they shop for.
With more than one million products to browse from at BuyOurUSA.com, it is hard to imagine you could come across a larger platform that allows you to purchase American products in a more extensive variety of ways.
About Roger Simmermaker
Roger Simmermaker has written multiple books on buying American and trade policy since 1996, and has been a frequent guest on Fox News, Fox Business Network, CNN, and MSNBC. Roger has also been quoted or featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, BusinessWeek, and The New York Times, among many other publications.
