Someone had forwarded to me a joke about the tax rebate, effectively stating that since almost nothing is made in the USA anymore, the only way to use the economic stimulus rebate to support our own economy was to spend it all on beer.

In response, I compiled a list of snacks from my soldier-stash that were clearly marked with “Made in USA” and suggested that the best way to use the rebate to support our country as a whole is to buy healthy, American made snacks and ship them to our Servicemen and Servicewomen in harms way.

I’ve since gone through my hygiene gear and found that much of that is also made in USA.  I’ll have to start taking my reading glasses shopping all the time because it is not always clearly marked and not consistent within brands (and my eyes aren’t what they used to be).

Hi JoCee,

Thanks for posting that great suggestion.  I started reading labels more intently than usual in the last couple of weeks ever since I saw a news program where the newsman showed how to tell if something was made in USA and not to assume it was just because it was a brand you think would be.  He showed a can of Pennsylvania Dutch mushrooms that were "made in China."   Since then I have been absolutely amazed where even band name  canned vegetables come from.  It is truly a shame.

If you get a moment, let us know what snacks you found that said made in USA.  I am sure a lot of us are going to want to do that. 

rosemary

Hello everyone!

Going by labels to locate where a product is from to ship to your soldier may not be easy.

Years ago I worked at a food processing plant.

At one location we processed pickles.

We would change labels for different brands. The labels would say "distributed by" and then each label would have a different Brand name and address of the offices of that particular company.

None of the labels had the actual location where we were located. I used to notice the difference in prices of the brands we processed sitting side by side on the shelf at the store.

A majority of coffees are also processed at a same location. I called there and bought it by the case delivered cheaper or equal than that of the store. It is a great way to get brands that they only sell in another state.

If one digs behind the scenes, things are not what they seem on the surface, door

Door is right.  Just because a product doesn't have the Made in USA label, doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't made in USA, and just because it says Made in USA doesn't mean that it is a US company.  The Made in USA label means that it has been documented and verified that a certain percentage of a product is US grown/manufactured.  Some companies can not justify the expense of maintaining yet another audit trail.  Some companies need to be able to change suppliers very quickly without of changing labels.

That said, my Made in USA food products du jour are: Jack Links Beef Jerky (I like the Original Beef Steak Nuggets because they don't have any MSG); Powerbars (Peanutbutter and Vanilla Crisp - most of the other flavors are yucky so I can't check those labels); Oceanspray Craisins (I believe most cranberries are grown in the US); Almonds (I don't have a label to verify but it's our 5th or 6th largest agricultural export and Blue Diamond is very proud of it's USAness); GNC 100% Whey; Syntha-6 Protein Powder; Jelly Bellys (not exactly healthy but I have a couple small bags in stock).

   This would make an excellent thread "Made in USA" !!

Especially for us grannies that have to get out our reading glasses to read that small print!! We would already have a list that somebody with young eyes had checked out for us!!

oh, in that case ...my hygiene stuff marked as Made in USA is: Softsoap Nutra-Oil body wash; the Avon Moisture Therapy that I have in stock and  St Ives Intensive Healing Lotion (but for really serious dry skin issues I send Aveeno, which is Canadian, or Gold Bond lotion which is unmarked); Q-Tips; Oral-B Indicator toothbrushes.  These things may cost more, but I'm confident in the quality because I use them myself.

In other stuff that I currently have in stock: Duracell AA batteries (but the AAA batteries are unmarked?); Energizer AAA batteries; Penguin Sport-Wash; McNett OpDrops and EK CatCrap (both are eyeglass defoggers); Stickeroni stickers and Carson-Dellosa stickers ( for box lid decorating when I don't like the selection at Dollar Tree).

Of course, if you want to be certain, you should still check the labels every time because manufacturing plants can change from shipment to shipment (especially on toothpaste).

I wish to send part of mine to Marty at AnySoldier.com.  The other part is going into my soldier boxes: both the groups I've been writing to over time and some truly "any soldier" - that unexpected, happy "surprise" that may warm a soul but never reap a reply.  Anyway - for me, the income is a boon so I want to tithe where my heart aches in appreciation.  I sure am a junkie and this website facilitates what I need.