Walmart removes Made in the USA logos from website after watchdog inquiry

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had launched an inquiry into the US retail giant over claims it advertised products as being made in the US when they were not.

But the FTC said it dropped the investigation without any action being taken after Asda’s parent Walmart scrapped the logos voluntarily to “prevent customer deception”.   

Walmart has since redesigned its Made in the USA logo, which was created to attract patriotic shoppers, to clarify how much of the product was produced domestically and how much was made abroad.

The retailer also ditched US country of origin claims that had previously appeared within product descriptions.

According to CNBC, FTC staff attorney Julia Solomon Ensor said in a letter to Walmart: “Based on your actions and other factors, the staff has decided not to pursue this investigation any further.”

In 2013, Walmart revealed plans to source an extra $250bn worth of domestically produced goods during the following 10-year period, as part of its strategy to improve its reputation in its homeland and support US manufacturing jobs.  

But watchdog Truth in Advertising found that more than 100 items labelled with the Made in the USA logo had misled customers.

Following the FTC decision, Walmart said in a statement: “We’re committed to reviewing and strengthening our processes to help ensure customers have a great experience on our website and can find the products and information they are looking for.”