We know that the claim “Made in USA” sells, and so do big businesses. Americans are searching for brands that support US manufacturing, jobs, and industry. So, when a brand labels its products as being made in the USA, customers flock. That’s the card that PYREX plays when they state that all their glass measuring cups are American made.
The problem is…they aren’t. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) just hit Instant Brands, the manufacturer of PYREX products, with an uppercut after discovering that some of those glass measuring cups were not US made, but imported from China.
PYREX Moves Overseas, but Marketing Doesn’t Follow
PYREX is a company that offers food storage systems, bakeware, and containers. All of their products are made of their signature glass composite, which is resistant to temperature shock and breakage. The concern for this article is where these products are made and the truthful nature of that labeling.
The trouble for PYREX began when Instant Brands moved to outsource glass measuring cup production to overseas facilities. This decision took place between May 2021 and March 2022 when they couldn’t keep up with the spike in demand. With most of the world confined in quarantine during early COVID-19, people turned to their kitchens for comfort. More bakers meant a wider customer base for PYREX.
Despite this manufacturing move to China, Instant Brands continued to claim these PYREX products were American made. The ‘trouble’ products were a three-piece and four-piece glass measuring cup set that were marketed and sold on Amazon. Over 110,000 glass measuring cups orders were placed in the US. That’s deception 110,000 times over.
Although the company’s marketing continued to state that their glass measuring products were American, product labels typically tell the truth. Turn one of those disingenuous cups over, and the embossed label will read “Made in China.” How did they think they could get away with that?
Customers Caught On Quick
Naturally, customers complained. When you purchase a product under the guise of “American Made,” it’s more than a little disappointing to see a label of a different origin. Despite these complaints, Instant Brands continued their false marketing schemes. That is until they got caught by the FTC.
According to the FTC, labeling something as “made in the USA” must mean that “all or virtually all” of the product was made right here in America. You can’t quite get around that standard when the bottom of your product is labeled “China” and all of your marketing claims USA origin. It was time to pay the price for PYREX.
Along with being assigned claim verbiage requirements, the FTC also ordered Instant Brands to pay $129,416 as a monetary judgment. For a company like Instant Brands, this is likely just a tiny splinter of a fee. However, it’s good to know they are at least not getting a clean break.
Customers often feel the burden of searching for products that align with their values. Ideally, this responsibility lies with the brand, not the consumer. It is imperative for brands to report truthful and honest statements about their products. It also falls on the brand to immediately update their information when need-to-know manufacturing details change.
You Were Misled
Know this: if you purchased a glass measuring cup from PYREX in 2021 and the bottom says “Made in China,” try not to worry about it. You were misled by the company to believe the product was US made, and Instant Brands is paying for that misstep. So, keep on baking.
