Made in the USA? The truth behind the labels.

Whether motivated to "buy American" by patriotism or by recent safety and health alerts about goods made abroad, readers have let us know that they're concerned about the birthplace of the products they choose. But locating that homeland isn't always easy.

The federal agencies (there are at least five) that oversee and enforce the rules don't always see eye-to-eye. Consider beans grown in the U.S.; dried, rehydrated, and canned in the Dominican Republic; and sent back to the U.S. for sale. The Food and Drug Administration considers the Dominican Republic the country of production (and the beans would be labeled "Product of Dominican Republic"), but Customs and Border Protection considers those beans American (though no one we contacted at that agency clarified exactly how its handling of imported beans would differ). Moreover, the components of today's products come from all over. The Braun Pulsonic shaver we found at Wal-Mart, for example, included parts made in Germany, Ireland, Hungary, and China.

Labeling rules can be daunting. The context of the claim and whether it's likely to mislead a reasonable consumer are key factors, according to the Federal Trade Commission, which is responsible for protecting consumers from false or deceptive claims. When a company is cited for misleading consumers, it usually agrees to change its behavior without admitting wrongdoing. The FTC investigates "a couple of dozen" complaints a year about made-in-America labels, says agency attorney Laura Koss. Consumers can e-mail such complaints to musa@ftc.gov.

The basic claim

A direct "made in the USA" claim means that "all or virtually all" significant parts and processing are of U.S. origin. But "qualified" claims are also allowed, including "made in the USA of U.S. and imported parts." Companies must be able to back up either type of claim.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

In general, imports must be labeled with their country of origin. Among fresh foods, only imported seafood and shellfish must be labeled. The only U.S.-made products that have to say so are seafood, cars, furs, and some clothing, textiles, and woolen goods.