U.S. Congress Introduces “Made in America Act of 2016”

The U.S. Congress has introduced a bill directing the Federal Trade Commission to establish labels that may be used as a voluntary means of indicating to consumers the extent to which products are of United States origin, and for other purposes.

Bill Intended to Promote US Manufacturing

On February 1, 2016 The United States Congress introduced “A BILL” [1], H.R. 4409, to direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish a labeling regulation known as “America Star Labels” as a voluntary means to indicate to consumers the extent to which products introduced, delivered, advertised, or offered for sale in commerce are manufactured in the United States.

This regulation is intended to ensure that products displaying the America Star labels meet standards consistent with the public’s perception of what is meant by the designation “United States origin.” The labels should also communicate the extent to which a product is of United States origin.

Regulation Requires Label Verification

The regulation requires establishing 4 America Star labels as follows:

1. A label that may be used for a product that satisfies the standard for an unqualified United States origin claim set forth by the Commission in the Enforcement Policy Statement.
2. A label that may be used for a product for which not less than 90 percent of the total cost of manufacturing the product is attributable to United States costs, as determined under the Enforcement Policy Statement.
3. A label that may be used for a product for which not less than 80 percent of the total cost of manufacturing the product is attributable to United States costs, as determined under the Enforcement Policy Statement.
4. A label that may be used for a product for which not less than 70 percent of the total cost of manufacturing the product is attributable to United States costs, as determined under the Enforcement Policy Statement.

The purpose of America Star labels is to accomplish the following goals:

- Providing clarity for consumers about the extent to which products are manufactured in the United States.
- Encouraging manufacturers to manufacture more products in the United States.
- Highlighting the importance of domestic manufacturing for the economy of the United States.

Reference:

[1] US Federal Legislative Information Platform, Congress.gov. H.R. 4409 – Made in America Act of 2016. February 2016 (https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4409/text?q={%22search%22%3A[%22%22hr4409%22%22]}&resultIndex=1)

About SGS Services for the Consumer Goods and Retail Industry

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Contact details:

SGS Consumer Goods and Retail
Ali Karimi
SGS North America
Technical Director - Hardgoods
291 Fairfield Ave.
Fairfield, NJ 07004
USA

This release was published on openPR.