CEO and innovator pushes for transparent product labels

A new book by business owner and innovator Alan Uke may reveal some insight as to how better product labeling can help shrink the American trade deficit, according to BusinessWeek.

Uke’s book, Buying America Back, goes into detail arguing that if product labels clearly stated where each part of the product was made then that could motivate consumers to be more conscious with their purchasing decisions.

For example, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates “Made in U.S.A” claims on products while the U.S. Customs Service mandates that all imports be marked with their country of origin. But, if a product says “Made in U.S.A.” or “Made in China” that may also mean that the product was “substantially transformed” or assembled in some way or another in that country – with components from anywhere else.

Uke argues that by having to list the country of origin for every component of a product rather than where it was assembled – or “substantially transformed” – will allow consumers to make more informed decisions and induce confidence back into the market.

This would mean that if a Northern California winery uses bottles that were made in Mexico and casks made in Canada, it would have to list those on its wine label, as well as where the grapes were grown and processed.

Uke has already garnered endorsements for his arguments from former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, National Association of Manufacturers former president Jerry Jasinowski and major consumer advocate Ralph Nader – founder of Consumer Reports.

As Uke’s initiative begins to gain ground nationally, companies that wish to remain ahead of the curve in this push for clarity may want to invest in a Primera LX-Series color label printer to test short-run, custom labels that list the country of origins of all the product’s components.