EDITORIAL: Save America - buy local, buy made in the USA

Unemployment figures remain in the double digits, federal and personal debts continue to mount and the recession seems like it’s here to stay.

Not a pretty picture, but what can we as individual citizens do?

Buy products made in the United States and buy them locally.

“Buy America” provisions traditionally don’t fly in Congress. They sound great on the stump, but Congress is too scared of global trade rules and treaties to enact them.

The 2008 Farm Bill, which became effective in March, requires all agricultural commodities, meats and seafood to be labeled with their country of origin (COOL). Processed food items are exempt as are businesses like restaurants.

So far, only Canada has brought up concerns over the COOL labeling regulations.

It took quite a few years to get this far, but it’s not far enough.

Consumers need to know the country of origin of all the food and other products they purchase. Most want to know too. A June 2007 Consumer Reports poll found 92 percent of consumers think food should be labeled and are willing to pay a premium for U.S.-originated products.

Research also shows consumers will purchase S.C. grown products through a sense of pride, according to the S.C. Department of Agriculture.

Currently, most processed foods are labeled “distributed by” a certain company with a U.S. address.

While the distribution chain is helpful when the researching a food safety problem, it doesn’t give the consumer any useful, real-time information.

Yes, the food was trucked to the grocery store at some point from a location in the United States. It did not send itself directly from China or Chile. The “distributed by” is a poor substitute for a meaningful label.

Opponents of labeling suggest the costs outweigh any benefits and that it will just increase food prices or reduce choice.

The costs of not clearly labeling these products may be greater to our country as a whole.

As our federal government prints more money and borrows more from foreign countries, Americans have expressed a need for independence. Independence from debt, from foreign oil and from foreign influence.

The path to that independence is in self-reliance, relying on and supporting our own producers for the goods and services we need.

Supporting domestic farmers and producers keeps money in our communities. Local businesses spend their money locally on wages, rent and supplies. They also donate more to local charities, sports teams and schools than large chain stores.

Each of us can do our part by shopping in locally owned and operated businesses in our county. The tax revenue will stay here and go to local schools not those in other states or countries.

In South Carolina, agribusiness is our number one industry cluster. We can’t afford not to support it, especially with our chronically high unemployment. The S.C. Department of Agriculture’s Palmettovore and Certified S.C. programs have helped bring some awareness to the issue. We can do more though.

Search for American made products on the shelves. You can usually find them with some perseverance. Request specific brands from store management if you know of ones produced here.

An American-made brand of sandwich bags in a box of 150 bags costs around 10 cents more than those imported from China. That 10 cents does not represent the full cost of purchasing those foreign-born items.

Do we want to be subservient to China, or any other country for that matter, to produce all our goods? Do we want other countries to have that much control over our destiny? Can we afford to lose any more jobs overseas?

Urge Congress to require country of origin labeling on all food products. When that happens, each of us can make a more informed decision when we spend our hard-earned dollars.

Lisa Chalian-Rock is the editor of The Messenger. She can be reached at (843) 332-6545 ext. 19 or by email at .