Food origins

If you enter a supermarket with the goal of buying products grown or produced in the United States, here’s an aisle-by-aisle sampling of your options:

Fruits and vegetables

•Bananas: From Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras.

•Apples: 94 percent from the U.S.; rest from Chile, New Zealand and Canada.

•Oranges: Most from the U.S. In winter, some from South Africa and Australia.

•Apricots, avocados, grapes, kiwi, limes, mangoes, nectarines, papayas, peaches, pineapples, plums, strawberries, tangerines: U.S., Mexico, Chile, the Philippines and Thailand.

•Potatoes: U.S.

•Tomatoes: U.S., Mexico and Canada.

•Lettuce, leafy green vegetables and carrots: U.S.

•Cucumbers, peppers, squash, and snap beans: U.S., Mexico, Canada and China.

•Dried beans, peas, and lentils: U.S. and Mexico.

Deli

•Cold cuts and less expensive cheeses: U.S.

•Prepared salads: Hard to tell because of the number of ingredients.

Seafood

Shrimp is the most popular seafood eaten in the U.S. In 2006, almost all of it came from these five countries (by volume):

Thailand: 33 percent

China: 12 percent,

Indonesia: 10 percent

Ecuador: 10 percent

Vietnam: 8 percent

Soda

All American. Because pop consists primarily of water and high-fructose corn syrup, and America produces enormous amounts of cheap, high-fructose corn syrup.

Meat

•Beef: 16 percent is imported from Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.

•Pork: 6 percent is imported from Canada and Denmark (Denmark is a big supplier of baby back ribs).

•No chicken is imported.

Juices

•Juices: Brazil is the largest supplier of orange juice.

•Apple: Argentina, Chile, and China are the leading suppliers.

Dairy

Milk, butter, yogurt, eggs: U.S.

Pasta

American, except for pasta imported from Italy.

Coffee and tea

•Coffee: Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala.

•Tea: Sri Lanka, India, China, Japan, Kenya.

Bread

Homemade. Ninety-four percent of wheat used here is U.S.-grown. About 6 percent comes from Canada and Mexico. The U.S. is the world’s largest wheat exporter.

Peanut butter

It’s all from U.S.-grown peanuts.

Jellies and jams

Both U.S. and foreign-grown fruit, mostly from the European Union. Unless labeled it’s impossible to know.

Heat and serve

No way to know.

•The starches – potatoes, rice, flour – in them are almost certainly from the U.S.

•The spices and other ingredients could be from anywhere.

Baking items

•Flour: 94 percent U.S., the rest from Canada and Mexico.

•Sugar: About 50 percent is from the U.S. The rest comes from Brazil, Caribbean countries and Australia.

Oils

•Corn, soy: U.S.

•Canola (short for Canadian Oil): Canada.

•Olive oil: Read the label. Much oil labeled “bottled in Italy” actually comes from Spain, Greece, Tunisia and other Mediterranean countries.

Nuts

•Almonds: U.S.

•Brazil nuts: Brazil.

•Cashews: India.

•Hazelnuts: U.S. and Europe.

•Pistachios: U.S.

•Pecans: U.S. and Mexico.

•Walnuts: U.S.

Source: Food and Drug Administration; U.S. Department of Agriculture; U.S. Apple Commission; American Meat Institute; Phil Lempert; National Association of Wheat Growers; Tea Association of the United States