Should we boycott America and American products?

We used to try to boycott SA goods during apartheid. Did it change anything?

The list of Kraft Heinz products is very long, it includes many labels that we wouldn’t associate with them. Milka and Toblerone chocolate to name a couple.
The full list is available on the Internet. Difficult to avoid when shopping.

Oreo

Am not sure that I would boycott anything from the US even if I did buy a product unknowingly from there.DT won’t be in position longer than a few years and why hurt US business even if we could?Not that buying a packet of biscuits now and then helps them all that much in my case.

Trump and his supporters (see Steve Bannon at CPAC) are already putting the idea of re-election out there...Trump portraying himself as King. Even if he's only in his post for a few years just think of what chaos he can cause.

I don’t buy Heinz products but hold my hands up to buying a packet of Oreos now and then, hence my user name.😃

NonGrannyMoll

Not sure how we could boycott US products effectively. They're world leaders in trade and business, and a lot of people don't realise how many pies they have their fingers in (including pies that used to be British). For example, I've not bought anything made by Cadbury's since it was sold off to Kraft (a US company which owns so many companies that I couldn't list them all here).
Examples: Kraft dairy products (of course), Nabisco, Jacobs, Oreo biscuits, Maxwell House, Philadelphia cheese...
When you don't know where they are, it's hard to boycott them. They don't necessarily make their products in the USA, they just own companies here and cream off the profits. But this is the great global market that so many people wanted, so now here it is, merry Christmas.

Right one here!

Oops wrong quote!

Oreo

I can’t think of anything I buy that’s made in the US.Things are made in China, the UK or Europe mainly.Apart from bananas from African countries or Madeira.🤔

I was also just about to add the Kraft Heinz products. Our cupboards and shops are full of them.
My only suggestion is to shop locally produced products and make your own biscuits, and sauces. Could be difficult.

Am not sure that I would boycott anything from the US even if I did buy a product unknowingly from there.DT won’t be in position longer than a few years and why hurt US business even if we could?Not that buying a packet of biscuits now and then helps them all that much in my case.

Not sure how we could boycott US products effectively. They're world leaders in trade and business, and a lot of people don't realise how many pies they have their fingers in (including pies that used to be British). For example, I've not bought anything made by Cadbury's since it was sold off to Kraft (a US company which owns so many companies that I couldn't list them all here).
Examples: Kraft dairy products (of course), Nabisco, Jacobs, Oreo biscuits, Maxwell House, Philadelphia cheese...
When you don't know where they are, it's hard to boycott them. They don't necessarily make their products in the USA, they just own companies here and cream off the profits. But this is the great global market that so many people wanted, so now here it is, merry Christmas.

I can’t think of anything I buy that’s made in the US.Things are made in China, the UK or Europe mainly.Apart from bananas from African countries or Madeira.🤔

As much as it pains me to see Canada, the UK and others biycott us and as much is this is going to hurt, I applaud you all for taking a stance. Hurting their pocketbook is the only way to beat them.

American nuts. ALMONDS

Approximately 70% of the almonds consumed in Europe come from the United States.
In Germany, around 65% of the imported almonds are from the United States, while 20% are Spanish (figures from the World Bank in 2021).
More than 50% of the imports in France come from Spain, but the United States and Australia still make up almost 30%.

Casdon

I haven’t looked up one foodstuff yet for which there isn’t an alternative UK owned version though Churchview, so we do have the power to tailor our shopping habits - it’s just more time consuming initially checking it all out. I don’t know if it will prove more expensive.

Crafting. I never thought of that.
Craters need to tell their suppliers they are not going to buy American made craft items but want British or European.

Casdon

What makes it more complicated is that a lot of companies we think of as British are not UK owned, so the profits don’t come to the UK, particularly if the manufacturing is also overseas. I’m learning a lot, but it becomes all consuming when you start looking into where food is made, and which company owns it as a subsidiary brand. Checking out product at a time is probably easiest.

It is complicated but we don’t have to make it complicated.
Just boycott products actually made in the USA.

There are some going the complicated way but for me I will just go simple.

NotSpaghetti

Wines... lots from the US - especially California

Great point. Dont buy American wine

all made, not both made...

I've stopped buying Clinique facial products, which I've been using for the last 25 years or so as it's an American company. I'll use up the last of it and then switch to Simple, which for the most part is made in the UK. The Simple Face Wash, eye cream and moisturiser I have bought are both made in the UK. That's my contribution at the moment!

We've already decided to avoid America and are now planning a trip to Canada

OK so there are plenty of American owned British companies.
I don't think anything mentioned so far would be anything I'd buy, except maybe chocolate 🤔

Not sure how much of that lot, the average Gransnetter can avoid.

As I wrote on a different thread I think, I needed to read all the labels of my clothes[medical condition].
There may have been 1 item made in the USA?
Not sure we import that many clothes form the USA.

Churchview

Morrisons
Hotel Chocolat
Jaguar
Aston Martin
Cadburys
Kenco coffee
Philadelphia cheese
Dairylea cheese
Terry's chocolates
Maxwell House coffee
Toblerone
Bird's desserts
Suchard chocolates

All owned by American companies. This is an interesting article which shockingly says that 25% of British GDP is made up of sales of 1,256 US multinationals operating in Britain.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/29/britain-great-again-stop-flogging-our-top-companies-to-the-us

More goods than I thought.

From google
The United Kingdom imports many goods from the United States, including machinery, fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals.
Machinery and transport equipment mechanical power generators, aircraft, cars, and engines.
Fuels crude oil and natural gas

Totally agree Casdon. I busy finding alternatives.

I haven’t looked up one foodstuff yet for which there isn’t an alternative UK owned version though Churchview, so we do have the power to tailor our shopping habits - it’s just more time consuming initially checking it all out. I don’t know if it will prove more expensive.

We certainly shouldn't buy American meat. Their welfare standards are well below ours. Most food is clearly labelled so there shouldn't be any confusion about where things have come from.

For those of us who are into crafts, this is a difficult area as America has produced so many of the items we need.. However, I'm sure many British firms will have seen a gap in the market and will be producing their own versions. They will be cheaper too, as there is no import duty to pay.

Gillycats

We definitely need to be boycotting US and China products. We’re long overdue a ‘Buy British’ campaign also. Europe is a substantial trading entity so I’m pretty sure we should be able to just get most of what we need from each other in general. And of course from our true allies also, eg Australasia and Canada. Trump and his mates need to be put back in their boxes in the light of the terrible accusations against Europe and Zelenskyy. I agree with ChocGran that we need clearer labelling to see what country our products come from. We need to stand together on this now because the US cannot be trusted while that buffoon Musk is in charge, and his puppet Trump too.

You will still be buying from China but not directly. 😥
We would all buy more British goods if we could. But manufacturers found they could make a much bigger profit with all that cheap Labour.
It’s not going to change.