Report Finds 100+ Walmart.com Products Labeled “Made In U.S.A.” That Were Made Elsewhere – Consumerist

This should surprise no one!! Walmart's marketing ploy back when they first arrived in the Buffalo area was the "Buy America" slogan.  Although I remember seeing signage such as "Made in American" in their stores, I couldn't remember finding anything of the sort. As noted by a story I highlighted in 2013, the "Buy America" schtick had turned out to be a sham.

The program raised questions about how effectively Wal-Mart monitors its import standards and whether the "Buy America" program to create jobs in the United States that Wal-Mart's late founder, Sam M. Walton, started in 1985 was more an advertising gimmick than a substantial plan. Acknowledges Some Mistakes

While Mitchell's piece talked numbers, "the company announced that it would purchase an additional $50 billion worth of domestic goods over the next decade,,, but measured against Walmart's galactic size, it's not.  An additional $5 billion a year amounts to only 1.5 percent of what Walmart currently spends on inventory." Morran, looks at, labeling, ie.false advertising.

While there is no official review process required for labeling a product as “Made in the U.S.A.,” a company can get into legal trouble for misusing that label, as doing so may constitute false advertising. A new report from an advertising watchdog group claims that Walmart’s website has more than 100 examples of products incorrectly marketed as made in America.

According to a letter [PDF] recently sent by the group Truth In Advertising to Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, “Walmart’s website is mired in USA labeling errors.”
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“False made in USA labeling on Walmart’s website has misled consumers looking to purchase American-made products,’’ said TINA.org Executive Director Bonnie Patten. “The largest retailer in the world should have made sure its American-made claims were accurate before affixing made in USA labels on the products. Until Walmart cleans up this mess, consumers cannot rely on Walmart with regard to where a product is really made when shopping on the site.”

Report Finds 100+ Walmart.com Products Labeled “Made In U.S.A.” That Were Made Elsewhere – Consumerist