From the clothes you wear to the food you eat and the car you drive, many everyday products traveled on winding journeys across international borders before landing in your closet, your refrigerator or your driveway.
Many of their paths are set by Nafta, a 24-year-old agreement that President Trump has called a “disaster.” The president pledged to withdraw from the pact entirely if Canada and Mexico don’t agree to his demands to reshape the agreement.
Nafta has had a profound effect on the three countries. It has encouraged United States companies to expand across the continent by abolishing the tariffs charged on products moving across borders. It has strengthened some industries, and hollowed out others.
As the negotiations continue, the pact’s future hangs in the balance. So do the futures of many products that we think of as quintessentially American. Here are three products that have been shaped by Nafta — and could be reshaped depending on whether the pact changes or survives.
Bacon
The bacon on your plate may have been born in Canada.
The well-traveled pig is a byproduct of Nafta, which has helped create complex agricultural supply chains that make for an often circuitous route to the consumer.
