In one of my early columns, I wrote about leather belts and how it was next to impossible to find one that was marked, "Made in the USA." It was intended to be a humorous article dealing with my frustrations and efforts to "buy American."
At the time, I just happened to need a belt, but the same article could have been written about shoes, socks, jeans, shirts and let's not forget underwear.
Yes, I know, we are in a "world economy" now and we can't restrict trade. At least that's what all the experts tell us. We wouldn't want to upset any of our foreign trading partners, would we?
I guess I just don't get it.
Back in the '40s, '50s and '60s it didn't seem that difficult to find clothes made in America with American-made materials. Our factories were literally cranking out the shirts for our backs and people who couldn't afford or weren't interested in a college education were gainfully employed by these businesses.
Now it is a rarity to find anything but custom-made or high-end clothing with a tag that's marked "Made in the USA." The clothing factories are gone, the equipment manufacturers are gone and the jobs are gone as well.
I really shouldn't pick just on the clothing sector. After all, the majority of our electronic products, tools and appliances are made somewhere other than the USA. Our manufacturers explain that they are forced to export the manufacturing to other countries in order to compete. They claim that if they don't, they will go out of business.
As consumers, we need to accept some of the responsibility for this ever-growing trend. We're all trying to save a buck, are we not? Let's try harder to "buy American."
There's more on the list of industries being shipped abroad. The next target for export to our trading partners is our agricultural industry and it's already beginning. It was the foundation of this great country and at one time was one of the largest employers in the United States.
I enjoy food and love to cook. I also spent 38 years working in the food industry. Recently we were shopping for canned peaches. I like to stretch our food budget whenever possible, but I noticed that the "house" brand peaches were significantly cheaper than the "name brand" that we usually buy.
Like a good shopper, I picked up the house brand.
The can was colorful and appealing. Even though I'm retired from the food industry, old habits are hard to break so I turned the can over to see if I could determine who the manufacturer was. What did my eyes behold? "Made in China." Yes, with peaches grown throughout the south and even in our great state of Michigan, we are importing canned peaches all the way from China.
On another occasion I was shopping for canned mushrooms that were required in one of my favorite recipes. I abandoned my wife and headed off on a mission down the grocery aisles to find the mushrooms. After wandering around like a typical man not wanting to ask for directions, I spotted a young man with a name badge. Figuring he worked for the store, I asked where one might find the canned mushrooms. This bright lad not only knew the aisle number, he knew they were on the second shelf on the left-hand side, halfway down the aisle.
In short order, I found the mushrooms. I picked up the house brand can of stems and pieces. Oh no! There it was, "Made in China." OK, throw caution and the food budget to the wind! Buy the name brand, you tightwad! I picked up the name brand that everyone thinks of when buying mushrooms. Thank goodness! The label had the words "Packed in the USA" written on it.
If you want an eye-opening experience, try to find a can of sardines or oysters produced in our country. If we don't become more aware, canned goods and other food products may someday be available only from foreign countries.
I want to be able to buy American food products in an effort to support our farmers and food processors. Quite frankly, I do not want to put my health in the hands of some unknown food factory in the middle of any country that has few or unknown food safety laws. Remember the pet food disaster, the baby formula, children's toys with lead paint and now the imported drywall?
In the meantime, I am going to buy only American food products unless it cannot be grown in our own country. This summer, we will be shopping at the farmers' markets, grocery stores and co-ops that feature locally grown and processed food products. We will be drinking Michigan wine, eating Great Lakes smoked trout and baking Michigan potatoes. Of course, we'll also be eating the many delicious varieties of Michigan cherries and apples as we celebrate summer and the abundance of food grown right here in the USA!
Ed Hungness and his wife owned their cottage on Fife Lake for six years before moving there after his retirement in 2005. He can be reached at edhungness@yahoo.com. For more of Ed's columns, log on to record-eagle.com/edhungness.
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