U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., asked the Federal Trade Commission on July 28, 2015, to investigate and prevent fraudulent or misleading “Made in USA” claims by retailers and manufacturers. He also asked the agency what resources Congress could provide for stronger enforcement.
What prompted the letter
Murphy’s office said the letter followed an investigation by NBC Connecticut into false origin claims. It also followed TINA.org’s findings of 200 examples of mislabeled foreign-made products on Walmart.com, which the nonprofit had reported to the FTC two weeks earlier (our coverage).
The letter
Writing to FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, Murphy said businesses may use an unqualified “Made in USA” label only if “all or virtually all” of a product’s parts, processing and labor are of USA origin. He said the standard applies both to manufacturers and to retailers, who may add origin labels after manufacturing is complete.
“I have particular concern over fraudulent labels that are placed on products by retailers on outer packaging or in advertising for products,” Murphy wrote. “Without enhanced enforcement practices, these abuses will continue to hurt real American manufacturers.”
In October 2015, the FTC closed its inquiry into Walmart’s website after the retailer removed Made in USA logos from its listings (our coverage).
Source & credit
Sources: Office of U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy: “Murphy Calls on Federal Trade Commission to Investigate & Prevent Fraudulent ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ Origin Labeling”, July 28, 2015; The Hill: “Dem demands investigation of fake ‘Made in USA’ labels”, by Lydia Wheeler, July 28, 2015.