I really am trying to buy British.

Jess20, about USA imports for foods, without provenance indicated. This is indeed worrying and a form of food dictatorship. I predict it will have 2 impacts : 1) a massive increase in vegeterianism and home growing 2) a massive increase, for those who can afford it, or will make other sacrifices so that the can, in buying from local butchers, farmers' stalls or markets, where provenance will be known.

Both good - however the majority will just continue to bux and eat *p, but much worse *p than before- with all the health implications that will bring.

Can we set up a Buy British campaign? A catalogue or website for British made goods would be useful. Listing stockists not a purchase opportunity. Also providing an advertising platform for small companies. ????

there is already a website promoting British made products, but so few products, and then they are quite expensive.

I try hard to buy British, what really peeves me is the face masks made in China.. good grief!

I confess I buy from Amazon, and so many times I will ask the question.. .which country makes this product, one reply was China,,, who cares!

so , yes, it is difficult, but I keep on trying.

I am not buying anything from China.I alwaysxlook up the manufacture and sometimes the company address of the chairman to make sure the company i am dealing with his British.I also belong to a British website.I am determined not to buy Chinese tat

Well, of course, the really responsible thing to do is to buy less of everything, wherever things are made. I doubt whether the OP had to have Kilner jars - recycled jam jars would probably do the trick. If we all used less of everything, the planet would be a healthier place.

We already make the choice to buy things, and whenever we buy anything, we keep a human being in work and contribute to a local economy somewhere. We also contribute to global waste and environmental damage and so on.

There’s no simple way of determining what it is ‘right’ to buy. Each of us makes our own choice. I was really just trying to explain to the OP that she had no reason to blame herself for the purchase - she said ‘must try harder’, but it’s a lot more complicated than that.

Yertiz, ??

Actually, gerkesse, I do need very large jars. We have 2 pear trees that are so weighed down with fruit that I have to do something with them. The freezer, only a small one, is full. I am also using mayo jars but jam jars won’t do it. I keep them for marmalade anyway.

I am constantly surprised by people who say they are trying to buy British made products.

As a country new chose in the 1980s and 1990s to stop making things and outsource, or offshore manufacturing to the 'Tiger Economies' of the Far East. Because we wanted tax cuts and cheap products.

The UK's GDP is now made up of service sector and tertiary businesses by more than 75%.

We think perhaps that James Dyson is producing a 'British' product, or indeed 'Apple' - all of these are made in either China or another of the Far East manufacturing countries.

Rather like the OP, I too struggle to find say an item of clothing, household appliance, computer, tablet, phone, TV, or a car part that is made in Britain.

Even the steel for our "independent nuclear deterrent" is manufactured abroad. The on-board electronic systems were made by a French-German consortium, and now by a US company, which no doubt farms out the component manufacturing to China.

Still, I believe a JCB is still mainly assembled in the UK.

I too am trying to buy British to help support jobs. I get particularly annoyed when cleaning products and toiletries are made in China. There are some really great products made in the UK. 'Astonish' cleaning products for example is very cheap but excellent cleaning range made in UK..
One thing I have noticed on some purported British products is ' designed in the UK' or ' developed in the UK ' I presume that this means manufactured elsewhere which is disappointing as I guess the number of design Jobs is far fewer than the actual manufacturing.

I’m definitely trying not to buy Chinese, but it’s often very difficult when you are buying on line as it often doesn’t tell you the country of origin

I was pleased to find that a chunky cardigan I bought on Ebay was 'made in Britain', but then the scandal of the Leicester 'sweatshops' gave me pause for thought.
Toiletries made in China have to be tested on animals. I always check for the 'leaping rabbit' symbol on these products, or some other indication that such testing has not taken place.

We took ages finding a British made toaster. It was, of course, so much more expensive. We don't have the marvellous reputation we used to for manufacturing. I have found a lot of things I buy reluctantly from China, are of better quality than British made.

My DD went on a business trip to Japan a few years ago and bought me a beautiful fan as a gift. When I'd been using it for a few days I read the small label on the box - yes you guessed it - 'Made in China'. At the time I found it quite funny but now I'm realising that pretty much everything is made there!

There's no easy answer to this as turning away from a predominantly manufacturing economy, as Britain once was, and becoming a predominantly service economy will not be easy to reverse. It will become an increasing problem as we approach a no-deal Brexit as many more imports will have tariffs added to the cost. Those of us on low incomes are not always able to choose to buy British as the cost of goods is the significant factor. However buying from local shops should help our local economies even if the goods on sale are cheap imports.

20 years ago I bought 2 two seater sofas made inSouth Wales. The cost under £500. Due to down sizing these have gone to local refurbishing centre who are amazed at how well made they are. Company now trade as sofa sofa .
While sorting skin care products checked where they were made. Mainly in E.U.even recently bought ones. Surely Uk can produce skin care products and cosmetics at competitive prices.

Thanks for the sofa sofa tip, evansgg. I’ve just had a look at their website and was very impressed, especially with the prices for something made in Britain. It just goes to show that it can be done.

There is a very well known clothing company who trade on their Cornish association. Their clothes are made in China. I love their products, but having been caught out, will not be purchasing any in the future.

Yes just paid £5 for a mask made by a local tailor, having just refused to buy one made in China for half the price. As an earlier gran said, adding insult to injury. Unfortunately you sometimes have to be able to afford your principles and not everyone can.

I don't feel it is very fair to cite Martin Lewis for encouraging us to buy cheap. He aims at people who are struggling with their finances helping tgem get on track. The root of buying junk from the Far East started in the 1970s. Young people today have not been educated to think where products come from by their consumer obsessed parents.
Supermarkets have a massive role in promoting mass produced garbage like the Halloween products that will be flooding the shelves as we write.
If Covid-19 can do one good thing it would be to slow down consumerism and make everyone think about what they are buying and where it is from.

I wanted a large dressmaking ruler and wanted to buy British. I paid £20 for one in UK. When it came it was exactly the same as one I could`ve bought on ebay for £8 and yeh..made in China.

We cant win!

I too always try to buy British.
But I struggle with the foreign workers on low wages problem. If we all stop supporting these dreadful sweatshop places and they go out of business, aren't we then depriving the workers of a job, perhaps meaning a family has no income at all?
If a child-worker is prevented from working because we have influenced a foreign government to pass a law making it illegal it might mean another family has no income eiher.
Its not at all straightforward.

A lovely lady in our area was making masks and donating a percentage too the hospice. No profit to herself and very time consuming, she was even delivering.
When she was highlighted in the local paper a number of people slated her for being overpriced compared to those sold in Primark etc. Disgusting the society we live in sometimes. It really put her off but thankfully due to demand she has had to start making and donating again.

I was trying to buy a sunlounger in the sales. Those that mention country of origin at all were made in China. I looked specifically for made in UK - cost over £400 and up to £4000, gulp! I will not buy Chinese-made goods any more though so I'll save up and in the meantime make do with a throw on the grass. I can't believe the amount of things in my house already that are made in China or the number of items that say confusingly and perhaps deceitfully 'designed in Britain, UK etc' but are actually made abroad. Went in Seasalt yesterday and half the 'designed-in-Cornwall' clothes were made in China but they are clearly marked so we can make an easy choice, unlike the huge online seller that thinks it's okay not to have a 'Made in' column in the description. If I don't know I won't buy. However, I have just bought some Sheffield-made scissors and a spade, things just take a bit more finding, and I know for sure I'll look after them better!

My Father always said ‘ if you buy foreign goods - you’re effectively buying unemployment’ - how wise and prescient ☝️

Yertiz

makeitbritish.co.uk/made-in-britain/.

Thanks for the link, I’ve saved it to My Favourites so I can go straight to it whenever I need to

Last year when blackberries were in season I was surprised to find that a major supermarket was importing them from Chile. I complained but got no feed back. A similar thing happened when asparagus was in season here they were importing that from Chile.
Why do we have to import tomatoes from Holland when we have the same climate as that country could enable us to grow them ourselves.