How do people feel about country of origin labelling? 

I like to know where stuff I eat - in particular - is made. But this isn't a legal requirement for our food in NZ. I respond to that by not buying stuff that doesn't clearly say where it is made. Sure...it may contain ingredients from elsewhere, but I want to know where it was finally made and packaged. A can of soup from NZ may well contain pepper from Mexico. No problem. But the soup in the can was made and packaged in NZ. That's what I want to know. 

I'm general able to get whatever I want with a country name attached. That's good. 

However...in the area of personal hygiene it becomes a little more difficult. For example, in most supermarkets Colgate toothpastes are 75% or more of the toothpastes on offer. As far as I can tell, none of them say where they are made. Could be anywhere: India, China, Thailand....no idea. Not a clue. Macleans is also usually sold though the range is much smaller. But at least they declare clearly Macleans toothpaste is made in South Africa. 

Well....I'm not happy putting toothpaste in my mouth without some idea of where it comes from. New Zealand does zero (or close to it) product safety testing and instead relies on people getting sick first and then moving to fix the problem after. It's cheaper. So I tend to err on the side of caution. 

Ok...so we have 'no-idea' Colgate and South African Macleans (a country I'm told is becoming increasingly chaotic and corrupt with every passing year). How can I be (relatively) sure these products are safe? 

What are the alternatives? Turns out, there are some. Google was my friend. "Red Seal" make several flavours of toothpaste in Auckland. I have ordered one of each from their web site. The prices are about $4.20 / each - roughly comparable to what you'd pay at Countdown or New World or wherever. But the product is made in NZ and I feel - (entirely subjective, sure) better about buying them.  

You can also obtain "Grants" toothpastes online. They are made in Australia. 

I'm going through the other toiletries to see if there are other local substitutes I can buy to counter the push to no-origin/ unknown products from the global multi-nationals. 

Anyone else interested in this? If nothing else, it does appear we do have choices - both in terms of country of origin labelling and in terms of being locally made - if it is a concern to us. 

(Disclaimer: I don't have any relationship with Red Seal or Grants other than as an occasional customer).