U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer asked the General Services Administration on Jan. 21, 2016, to review the “Made in America” labels on its GSA Advantage purchasing website. He said the site listed several companies’ overseas-made flatware as USA-made.
The complaint
GSA Advantage is an online store where federal agencies and many state and local governments buy from approved suppliers. Sherrill Manufacturing of Sherrill, New York, sells its Liberty Tabletop flatware there. Schumer called Liberty Tabletop the only flatware still made in the USA. Other flatware made abroad was also listed as made in the USA, and Schumer said some of those makers did not claim USA origin even on their own websites.
In a letter to GSA Administrator Denise Roth, Schumer asked the agency to “examine the flatware that is listed as ‘Made in America’ on the GSA Advantage website, and remove the products that do not belong on that list.” He noted that many federal buyers have USA-made requirements but “can’t properly purchase these products if they are unwittingly buying mislabeled goods that were actually made overseas.”
About Sherrill
Sherrill Manufacturing grew out of the former Oneida Ltd. operations. Schumer’s office said it had 40 employees, and the military bought about 500,000 utensils a year from it. Company President Matthew Roberts told the Rome Sentinel, “The ‘Made In America’ claim is how we attract our customers.”
In March 2016 the GSA removed USA-made listings for 11 flatware vendors; see our coverage.
Source & credit
Sources: The Citizen (Auburn, N.Y.): “Schumer to feds: Incorrect use of ‘Made in America’ label hurting central NY company”, Jan. 22, 2016; Rome Sentinel: “Sherrill flatware company touts ‘Made In America’ status”, Jan. 26, 2016.