Plates, forks and knives are everyday essentials for all of us, however, most of these items are made abroad. Now, state leaders are pushing for the items to be American made with the FORKS Made in America Act.

It would require the Department of Defense to buy stainless steel flatware and dinnerware from manufacturers in the United States, potentially good news for Sherrill Manufacturing in upstate New York. 

“We manufacture flatware in Sherrill, New York," said Matt Roberts, the president and co-founder of Sherrill Manufacturing. "Mostly under the Liberty Tabletop brand. We’re the only manufacturer of stainless steel flatware left in the United States. So if it says USA on the back, it had to have been made here.” 

With years in the industry, they’ve found success but also faced many challenges, some they believe unfairly. 

“Well, the important thing that we’ve been dealing with is unfair competition from overseas for decades," Roberts said. "If the government can procure their product in the United States, they keep the manufacturing base strong and they also create jobs for people like us.” 

That’s one of the reasons why Rep. Claudia Tenney proposed the FORKS Made in America Act. She announced earlier this week her legislation passed the House of Representatives and is included in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. 

“It has the possibility of adding millions of dollars of revenue to our company," he said. 

It would include stainless steal flatware under the Berry Amendment, which was originally enacted during World War II. If it becomes legislation, flatware must be bought domestically by the U.S. Department of Defense. 

“Manufacturing is a very important part of the economy," said Roberts. "If we’re just a service economy, obviously there’s a lot of jobs that we’ll lose if we don’t make things. If you make things you create, a lot of jobs for people that enjoy to work with their hands, run machines, etc.”