From the Patriot-News:

"Consumers love this, and people prefer the change," [Hershey's spokesperson] said.

Cybele, who runs the Candy Blog, and has been working to make consumers aware of the changes in Hershey's products, has been keeping a close eye on what she calls misleading statements on Hershey's website. For example:

I don’t know if they can get away with calling the product Hershey’s Miniature chocolate bars when I found that 41% of my package were not chocolate bars at all.

Milk Duds haven’t been chocolate for years, but the description is still there:

Bite-size chocolate-covered caramels, MILK DUDS candy is a perfect snack for a night at the movies or anytime!

Slightly more disturbing was Cybele's attempt to find out what is actually inside the Hershey's Krackle Bar. They flat out wouldn't tell her.

I called this morning and gave the representative my case number and she read back my request: What are the ingredients in the Krackel bar. The ingredients list on the Miniatures bag lists them all together and I want to know just what’s in that bar.

She asked me why I want to know.

I stammered that I wanted to know what I’m eating.

She asked if it was an allergy issue.

I replied that I wanted to know what was in that bar. If I ate only that bar, what would I be eating? (The package does say “something for everyone” so Hershey’s understands that sometimes people just pick through and eat only one variety.)

She said she did not have that information. It doesn’t exist in her records. If she wanted she could escalate me to a supervisor, but they had only the same info that she does.

Surely someone must know? Ultimately, the company decided that the recipe for the bars could not be shared.

The recipe for this bar is proprietary and cannot be shared.

Do they really think we're going to try to make them at home?

Hershey changes recipes for some candies [Pennlive]
Hershey’s Website Inaccuracies [Candy Blog]

Reader Kristina says:

What follows is a conversation between myself (me) and the customer service (CS) representative from Tropicana. (I called their 1.877.342.1813 number around 9:30 am, EST on 5 September 2008):

me: Hi, I am calling to ask about one of your ingredients listed in one of your products.

CS: Ok, go ahead.

me: the label on your juice product says its 100% juice but lists "natural flavors, ingredient not found in regular orange juice." Could you please let me know what, besides juice, is in your product?

CS: It's natural flavors, natural flavors come from anything in nature.

me: Can you please tell me what the specific "natural flavors" are that are added to your orange juice?

CS: Natural flavors can be anything from nature.

me: OK, but if it says "100% juice" doesn't that have to mean that the natural flavors are from another source of juice?

CS: No, its from anything in nature, it could be from dairy.

me: Dairy? But can't it NOT be from dairy, because it says 100% juice?!

CS: Well, its not from dairy, because dairy is a top 8 allergen and we would have to list that on the label, but I am saying it COULD be from dairy.

me: Can you please divulge what that said ingredient is?

CS: The product you have is from concentrate, any drink from concentrate has natural flavors.

me: I understand this, but what I am asking is WHAT are the natural flavors added to this specific beverage?

*** More back and forth, but ultimately getting her to understand why I was asking the question (re: food sensitivities)

me: Well I would urge your company to list all ingredients and not hide behind all encompassing terms such as "natural flavors" so that your consumers can know exactly what is in your products. I picked up your bottle of juice thinking it was safe because it listed "100% juice" on its label and now you are giving me *possible* contradictory information.

CS: Let me send you out a coupon for our Pure Premium line of juices that are not from concentrate and 100% juice.

Hmm. Maybe they think dairy is "cow juice?"

(Photo: Bonzo McGrue )

A reader at "green gossip" website Ecorazzi reported that the local KFC says it fries its vegan patties in the same fryers and oil that it uses to cook its chicken. It's doubtful that they're the only location that does this, but even if they were, there are several other reasons why this sandwich isn't vegan, and might not even be vegetarian. The obvious one is the use of mayonnaise as a condiment, which contains egg products unsuitable for vegans. We couldn't find any nutritional information on this sandwich at KFC or KFC Canada's website, so we can't speculate on what secret animal products (like enzymes or "natural flavors") are in the bun. Having worked at a few fast food restaurants in high school, we know that gloves and utensils aren't changed between preparing meaty and vegetarian items, so you're probably getting some chicken fat in your KFC Vegetarian Sandwich one way or another.

It's nice that KFC made the attempt to offer a non-meat menu item, but vegans and vegetarians shouldn't be eating at fast food restaurants. Even the highly touted Burger King Morningstar Burger is imperfect: the patty itself contains milk and egg, the mayo contains eggs, and the cheese contains milk (and probably animal rennet). Burger King's nutrition info brochure contains the following disclaimer: "Burger King Corporation makes no claim that the BK VEGGIE® Burger or any other of its products meets the requirements of a vegan or vegetarian diet."

If you'd like to learn more about how cheese is made with veal stomach, sugar is bleached with animal bones, and other depressing reasons not to ever eat anything ever again, check out the Vegetarian Resource Group's Frequently Asked Questions About Food Ingredients

(Photo: Getty)

Here's the actual BBB complain that went unanswered by Taco Bell:

About 3 weeks ago i called the 800# asking what grade of beef they use. All they could tell me was usda approved. I called 4 times and got the same, twice i left my # and was told a nutritionalist would call me back....no call ever came. I next e mailed corp with the same question. I was answered by a Sandy Shakelford telline me:I have located a phone number contact in which you can inquire about our meat. Taco Bell Corporation 949-863-4500 and ask for the QA Department. I called a total of three times first got a prompt telling me to put in MY voice mail # to get my messages. Next i was transfered to a recording telling of bad cheese both plain and mixed and to throw them out and call in for a credit. Third was disconected. 4th i got a voice mailbox in the Quality control dept. i think his name was Steve...Again i left my question and # and again no call back. On Feb 27 i e mailed Sandy telling her what my phone experiance was and had not got an answer to my question...That was 10 days ago and again no contact from Sandy nor Taco Bell. Side note the web sight says contact us call 1800 TACO BELL when its actually 800 TACO BEL....The companys resistance to answer my question tells me what i was told by a friend that worked there that they use poor yet usda approved beef could be true.

We just got interviewed by someone doing a story on the matter and this is what they were told by Jamba Juice PR.

See, when we, and a reader, contacted Jamba Juice customer service to ask what was in their "non-dairy dairy blend" the customer service reps saw a page very similar to what you see in the picture at left. Note how "Non Dairy Dairy" is at the top of the page. Note the giant space.

The customer service reps thought that "Non-dairy dairy" was the page heading.

So, like we previously reported, when we asked what was in the "non dairy dairy mix," they went down the ingredients list, they read off the ingredients for the Jamba Juice Lower Calorie Dairy Base.

See now, that wasn't so hard was it? But Jamba Juice PR never mentioned the space/heading issue, even when we asked, "Two different reps, both talking about non-dairy mix, both saying there's milk in it. Why?"

Full-size comparison, inside...

Proofreading is good for you. — BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY:
Jamba Juice Says It Doesn't Sell Milk-Filled "Non-Dairy Blend"
Jamba Juice's "Non-Dairy Blend" Secret Ingredient? Milk.

Polysorbate 60
Polysorbates are made by polymerizing ethylene oxide (a precursor to antifreeze) with a sugar alcohol derivative. The result can be a detergent, an emulsifier, or, in the case of polysorbate 60, a major ingredient in some sexual lubricants.

A delicious blend of sugar, wax, and condom lube. [Wired]

Two days ago we asked Jamba Juice via web form for the ingredients in the "non-dairy mix." They said one of the ingredients was Grade A Nonfat Dried Milk.

Yesterday, reader Delorean called Jamba Juice customer service and asked whether their "non-dairy mix" contained milk. Jamba Juice told him yes. But then today he called and Jamba Juice told him they don't sell a non-dairy mix.

Likewise, today, Jamba Juice PR rep Kara Burke writes The Consumerist,

....Jamba Juice does not have a "non-dairy blend." This is something that does not exist as part of our product offering and never has. The ingredients that Customer Service provided you with refer to Jamba's "lower calorie dairy base."

Apparently, two different JJ customer service reps equated "non-dairy mix" with their "lower calorie dairy base." Indeed, the ingredients we were cited sound congruent with those mentioned here. Maybe they got confused because "lower calorie dairy base" is listed on the same page as "non-dairy dairy" in the Jamba Juice handbook, as in the above pic of the nutritional guide available in JJ stores.

Though, Delorean swears he saw juice marked as non-dairy, but without pictures, who can tell.

In any event, Burke says, "Jamba will be changing all its nutritional guides to include full listing if ingredients by fall 2007."

JAMBA JUICE: Thank you for calling Jamba Juice, how may I help you?

DELOREAN: Yes, I was wondering about the ingredients in your Jamba Juice products.

JAMBA JUICE: Ok, let me transfer you to customer service.

(very short hold time)

BARBARA: Hello, my name is Barbara thank you for calling Jamba Juice. How may I help you today?

DELOREAN: Yes, I had a question about some of the ingredients in one of your products.

BARBARA: Yes, and what kind of questions did you have?

DELOREAN: You see, I was at the store yesterday, and my friend saw some "Jamba Juice, Non-dairy blend." When he found out I drank Jamba Juice, he was interested, but asked me to make sure there was NO dairy products of any kind in it. When I called yesterday, a service rep told me that there was milk in your non-dairy blend; I was a little concerned about that, especially for my friend, so I was calling to clear that up.

BARBARA: Yes sir, we are aware that there have been some postings floating around the internet about the presence of milk in our products, such as on blogs, and various websites. We don't know who posted them, but there is no milk in the product.

DELOREAN: But I didn't read that on a website. That's what a Jamba Juice rep told me yesterday on the phone. She told me that there was milk in your non-dairy blend Jamba Juice.

BARBARA: Well, we don't actually have a "non-dairy blend," what we have is a type of juice that contains some soy products, a Sorbet blend, and a blend with soy products in it. I can pull up the ingredients for those products for you, sir.

DELOREAN: Ok, what are the ingredients for the Sorbet blend, and the Soymilk blend?

(she proceeds to read the ingredients, which don't contain milk.)

DELOREAN: Uh-huh. But, that's what the rep told me yesterday.

BARBARA: Well sir, we do not have a "non-dairy" blend, sir.

DELOREAN: That's weird though, cause I didn't see the Sorbet or Soymilk blend in the store yesterday; there was just a bunch of Explicitly-marked Non-Dairy blend Jamba Juice. What does that mean? Is there some type of counterfeit Jamba Juice out there? I'm really concerned about this.

BARBARA: Well sir, I don't know what else to say about this. There is no counterfeit Jamba Juice, however, sir. Did you have anymore questions today, sir?

DELOREAN: No, but are you sure there's no bootleg Jamba Juice out there, who stole your recipe to make a profit?

BARBARA: (laughing) No, sir, there is no counterfeit Jamba Juice.

DELOREAN: Alright, thank you.

BARBARA: Thank you for calling Jamba Juice, sir.

— BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY: Jamba Juice's "Non-Dairy Blend" Secret Ingredient? Milk.
(Photo: gruntzooki)

Jamba Juice says it won't tell you upfront the ingredients in its "non-dairy blend" because of "trade secrets," but perhaps the real secret is that it contains milk products and an ingredient known to give some people explosive diarrhea.

There's a book in Jamba Juice with the ingredients list for all their products, but when you flip to their non-dairy (but "dairy-esque) products, there's nothing.

Cory Doctorow asked us, "AFAICT, this is illegal, and it's pretty dirty - I mean, shouldn't we have a right to know what's in the food they sell us... Even Coke tells you what's IN Coke, just not the proportions/process."

Jamba Juice says they withhold the ingredients to protect their trade secrets, but we'll tell you what they are anyway.

(Photo: gruntzooki)

If you have an allergy, you can ask at the counter and they'll tell you if the juice contains the allergens.

"Got peanuts? Nope, go fish."

It's actually not illegal for businesses to withhold their ingredients list if it concerns a trade secret, as cited in several provisions of Chapter 4 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. However, Bills are on the docket in several states to strengthen labeling laws.

We emailed Jamba Juice customer service and they provided the ingredients list for their "non-dairy blend": Water, Grade A Nonfat Dried Milk, Grade A Whey, Grade A Whey Protein Concentrate, Splenda, Sodium Alginate, Maltodextrin, Pectin, Carrageenan, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Natural Flavor, Annatto.

Maybe the process of drying and removing the fat from milk makes it like a non-dairy creamer, but some consumers might be pissed if they were buying the non-dairy Jamba Juice for ethical or religious reasons, and not just dietary.

Also notable is that maltodextrin gives some consumers explosive diarrhea.

Jamba Juice didn't provide comments in time for this post's publication. — BEN POPKEN

A reader writes in to express her displeasure at parent company Unilever's decision to add tara gum filler to Breyer's Ice Cream. Karen writes:

I'm writing about some semi-recent reformulations made to Breyer's ice creams. I think you could have a real impact on, first, getting the word out about the changes the owning company has made, and more generally, adding to the debate about how much label reading consumers should really have to do, and how pissed they can justifiably be if a company alters a long-standing or heavily-marketed brand or stops operating on the principles that attracted customers to it.

I'm 90% one of those whole-organic-slow foods nuts, and the other 10% of the time a voracious label-reader. Every once in a while, some of it rubs off on my family. Today my mother came to me with a complaint about the Breyer's ice cream she bought (within her price range, it is the only brand that meets my "seal of approval"...). It was different to her — no better than an arby's shake(!) she claimed — and she was disappointed. I tasted it and agreed — it had a light, ice-crystally consistency - and then read the ingredient list, of course, which contained a couple of less than quality additions.

I jumped online to confirm and find out about the new ingredients, and easily gathered more info on the websites linked below. I'm doubly disappointed by the wikipedia entry, since it seems to have been taken over by the Breyer's marketing department. Thanks for listening, and I hope you find this worthy of covering.

Thank you,
Karen

Karen linked us to this website, which contains an official company response to a customer's questions about tara gum and what it's doing in Breyer's Ice Cream. Unilever's PR Guy Writes:

In response to your questions regarding the use of tara gum in its ice cream, Breyers is proud of its all-natural heritage. It's a position we take very seriously and one we work hard to maintain. We value the confidence our customers have in our products and go to great lengths to ensure exceptional quality and great taste.

So when consumers expressed concern over the texture of our products, we responded. By adding a natural gum to Breyers All Natural Vanilla ice cream, we've helped to protect the product's texture while staying true to our all-natural commitment. We use tara gum from natural plant sources to help Breyers ice cream stay creamier and more enjoyable for longer periods of time.

Because ice cream is temperature-sensitive, this addition has further allowed us to ensure the ice cream's quality throughout it distribution. As you can imagine, ice cream's taste and texture can be unfavorably affected if exposed to temperature fluctuations during shipping or storage. Our customers describe the problem as ice cream with a "gritty" or "grainy" texture. In fact, growing distribution and increased handling of our ice cream in the marketplace has indeed resulted in greater chances for temperature abuse and heightened potential for texture problems.

Breyer's has sold out to the taraguministas. Which ice cream should Karen switch to? Does Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream contain tara gum?—MEGHANN MARCO

Breyer's Natural Ice Cream And Tara Gum: Unilever's Response [A Daily Scoop]