Office of Consumer Goods
- Office of Consumer Goods Home
- About OCG
- Major Industry Trade Tables
- Industry Analyst Directory/Contact Us
- 2016 Top Markets - Recreational Transportation
Office of Consumer Goods
The Office of Consumer Goods (OCG) undertakes a broad range of trade policy, trade promotion, and trade facilitation activities geared to increasing the competitiveness of the U.S. consumer goods industries, focusing on processed foods, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and recreational transportation (pleasure boats, motorcycles, recreation vehicles, all-terrain vehicles).
Other industries we work with include home appliances, home furnishings, gems and jewelry, lawn and garden equipment, sporting goods, toys and games, and miscellaneous manufacturing. OCG undertakes industry analysis, participates in trade policy development and trade negotiations, conducts extensive trade promotion programs abroad, and evaluates the impact of domestic and international regulatory policies on the U.S. consumer goods industries.
OCG works with other Department of Commerce units and other U.S. agencies to address international market access challenges encountered by U.S. exporters. A key to the successful efforts of OCG and other I&A offices is our strong working relationships with industry trade associations and individual companies within the building products, chemicals, and metals industries. Please contact us regarding any competitiveness issues your company or trade association may have.
What We Do
- Serve as ITA lead for two public-private export expansion partnerships under the Department's Market Development Cooperator Program.
- Serve as ITA lead for an Industry Trade Advisory Committee, to ensure U.S. industry's voice is included in trade policy development for a wide variety of consumer goods industries.
- Serve as ITA lead for U.S. government-led wine regulatory project in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC).
- Serve as ITA lead for U.S. government-led food safety project under the Food Safety Cooperation Forum of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum(APEC).
- Represent ITA in numerous U.S. government interagency working groups geared to advancing the competitiveness of OCG industries.
- Work closely with ITA's office of Trade Promotion Programs on many International Buyer Program events, attracting foreign buyers to leading U.S. consumer goods trade shows, including the following:
- Develop and recommend U.S. policy positions for multilateral and bilateral discussions related to the U.S. consumer goods industries.
- Provide information, trade data, and industry analysis to the U.S. business community, policymakers, and trade negotiators.
- Provide export assistance, including advocacy and business counseling, to help U.S. consumer goods exporters penetrate new international markets, increase export market share, and resolve specific market access and development challenges.
Public-Private Partnerships – Market Development Cooperator Program
An MDCP award establishes a partnership between ITA and non-profit industry groups such as trade associations and chambers of commerce, which are particularly effective in reaching small- and medium-size businesses. The non-profit groups compete for a limited number of MDCP awards by proposing innovative projects that generate exports that create or sustain U.S. jobs. OMI staff serve as ITA lead for the following MDCP partnerships
- Recreation Vehicle Industry Association – MDCP partnership with RVIA focused on threemarkets China, Japan, and Korea.
- California Asian-Pacific Chamber of Commerce – MDCP partnership with CAPCCC focusedon growing California processed foods exports to China.
Advisory Committee
ITA and USTR regularly seek the input of Industry Trade Advisory Committees (ITAC) to enhance the competitiveness of U.S. industries. OMI currently serves as ITA lead for the ITAC on Consumer Goods (ITAC 4).
Committee members are senior executives representing a broad cross-section of an industry and serve two-year terms. The ITACs, which fall under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), are charged with providing consensus industry advice to the Secretary of Commerce on ways to enhance U.S. industry competitiveness. To learn more about the ITAC system and how your organization may become involved, click here.
Industry Stakeholders
- Processed Foods and Beverages
- American Beverage Association
- Beer Institute
- Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS)
- International Dairy Foods Association
- International Sweeteners Association
- National Confectioners Association
- National Association of Flavors and Food-Ingredient Systems
- Natural Products Association
- Pet Food Institute
- Snack Food Association
- U.S. Dairy Export Council
- Wine America
- Wine Institute
- Recreational Transportation Trade Associations
- Other Consumer Goods Industry Associations
The International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, manages this global trade site to provide access to ITA information on promoting trade and investment, strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. This site contains PDF documents. A PDF reader is available from Adobe Systems Incorporated.