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arizona ice tea

Grocery Shrink Ray Hits Arizona Ice Tea?

It looks like the fell Grocery Shrink Ray may have hit cans of Arizona Ice Tea, reducing the size of their 12 oz cans to 11.5 oz cans. We couldn't find any definite pictures of 12oz Arizona Ice Tea cans, but we did find them being sold on this website in 12 oz cans. What happens to a product when the shrink ray hits it? I imagine it goes eek! eek! eek! and the last eek is an octave higher than the first.

(Thanks to Cynicor!)


sticky situation

Krazy Glue Kontradiction

Reader Eric sent us a konfusing photo of Krazy Glue. On the front it clearly says, "Bonds: wood, metal, ceramics, pottery, rubber, leather, plastic." Yet the back clearly reads, "Not for use on wood and leather." So does Krazy Glue work on wood and leather? Krazy Glue, you so krazy!

caveat emptor

Act's Large Bottle Of Mouthwash May Say 2x, But It's Really Half The Strength

Act mouthwash may look like it comes in two sizes, but according to Mouseprint, the large and small bottles are actually entirely different products. The labeling looks largely the same until you get to the active ingredient. The small bottle contains .05% of sodium fluoride while the large bottle contains .02%. Hit the jump for Act's sneaky explanation. More »

labels

"Made In Italy" Is Italian For "Made In Sweatshops"

That $1,500 Prada bag may have been stitched by an illegal Chinese immigrant slaving away in a Tuscan factory. The tentacles of globalization are starting to snake dirt-cheap foreign laborers into once-protected enclaves known for their quality swag. More »

lawsuits

Class Actions: Bed Bath & Beyond May Owe You A Small Amount Of Money

If you bought sheets at Bed Bath & Beyond you may have some money coming to you from a class action settlement. BB&B has begun notifying customers that they've settled a class action lawsuit brought over the thread count in their sheets. Apparently, said sheets had been labeled in a non-standard manner. More »

followups

Here Is What This Pillow Is Made Of

Unable to stand the mystery any longer, Matt caved and cut open his pillow that sports a tag saying it contains 100% of "TEXTILE FABRICS OF AN UNKOWN KIND." Now we know what's inside these pillows: a heterogeneous mixture of shredded clothing and fabric factory leftovers. Mmm, downy soft sweet dreams. Don't worry, this isn't some scam, "Textile fibers of unknown kind" are a legally accepted industry label meaning, "new material consisting of a variety of fibers that has been reduced to a fibrous state." Still, it's crazy to think that's what you might be sleeping on. More pics, inside. More »

labels

Nobody Knows What This Pillow Is Made Of

I had a pillow that says 'contains textiles of 100% unknown kind' on that tag that says 'Do not remove under penalty of law'. Kind of defeats the purpose of the tag, and I'm wondering what is in my pillow. Used underpants? Human hair? It does say 'all new materials' but that might just be 'new to me.'

UPDATE: Here Is What This Pillow Is Made Of

More »

Sony has agreed to sell its songs DRM-free on the Amazon MP3 store, completing the set—now all four big record companies are on board. It's amazing how a little iTunes competitiveness will bring a bunch of executives together. [New York Times]

music

Amazon Expands DRM-Free Music Store, Adds Warner Music

Starting today, Warner Music songs are now available on the Amazon MP3 music store, in DRM-free formats and at prices competitive to what iTunes charges. According to Reuters, Amazon has now reached "deals with music labels Universal Music Group, part of Vivendi, and EMI. The remaining major recording group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, has yet to offer its songs for the service." Sony BMG, you guys are very, very old dorks. More »

labels

Country Of Origin Labeling Expanded To Chickens, Macadamia Nuts, And Goat Meat

Ever wonder where your goat meat came from? No? Well several Senators did, so their chamber's version of the farm bill extends country of origin labeling to chickens, macadamia nuts, and goat meat. The labels, which are already required for beef, pork, lamb, peanuts, fresh fruits, and vegetables, should appear by late next year. More »

silly

Thought Process Behind Listerine Label Finally Revealed

Reader Tom writes:
Marketing guy 1: "Hey how about this for a slogan... 24 Hour Protection?"
Marketing guy 2: "Yeah, that's great! Let's put it on our bottle!"
Marketing guy 1: "Wait, if we say that, the consumers will only use it once per day and we'll only sell half the volume!"
Marketing guy 2: "True... so let's be sure to remind them to use it 2x a day."
Marketing guy 1: "Cool. We'll put both on the label. 24 Hour Protection that you use twice a day. Oh, and we'll clarify by putting Use Every 12 Hours, just in case they get confused."
Marketing guy 2: "Yeah, that makes perfect sense."


music

"In Rainbows" Pirated A Lot, Despite Name-Your-Price Deal

Radiohead may have moved 1.2 million copies of its new album "In Rainbows" when it was released last week, but according to industry analysts, over 500,000 copies were downloaded through old-fashioned file sharing networks, eroding the perceived success of the distribution plan and possibly hindering similar release plans for other artists in the future. More »

food safety

Should Artificially Colored Meat Have A Warning Label?

Over a year and a half ago, we alerted readers to the sneaky practice of using carbon monoxide to indefinitely preserve raw meat's red color—several stores admitted to the practice, and while the small amount of gas used does not pose a health risk, the perma-red meat can make it harder to detect spoilage. Now, in the wake of so many food and product safety scandals, the government has proposed a new mandatory warning label as part of the Food and Drug Import Safety Act of 2007. It would read:
Carbon monoxide has been used to preserve the color of this product. Do not rely on color or the 'use or freeze by' date alone to judge the freshness or safety of the product. Discard any product with an unpleasant odor, slime, or a bulging package.
More »

labels

California Bill To Mandate Disclosure Of Bottled Water Source, Quality

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is considering a bill that would require bottled water to bear a label clearly stating the source of the water, contact information for the bottler, and the location of recent water quality reports. SB 220 sailed through the California Legislature earlier this month, and would remind bottled water guzzlers that they are shelling out big bucks for a free, public resource.
The confusion has put some companies in hot water. PepsiCo Inc.'s Aquafina brand and Coca-Cola Co.'s Dasani were slammed by consumer and environmental groups for failing to clearly note that their products came from water systems.
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nutrition

30 Code Words For Sugar

It's yesterday's news that you can eat healthier by avoiding foods full of unnecessary sugars, and that sugars appear on labels under different names, but you might be surprised to see just how many different guises sugar and sugar-related substances can assume. More »

nutrition

The Earlier Ingredients Are On A Label, The More There Is Inside

Did you know that ingredients on ingredients labels are listed in their descending order of proportion?

Say you're shopping for aloe. If WATER is one of the first ingredients, it's a ripoff. Similarly, if you're trying to buy healthy foods you would want to avoid products where SUGAR is one of the first ingredients (also be aware of the different names sugar can hide under, like CANE JUICE or FRUCTOSE).

(Photo: Getty)


efficiency

Meet The New EnergyGuide Label

The suspense is over. After two years filled with action-packed consumer research, suspenseful public meetings, and frank discussions with advocacy groups, the Federal Trade Commission is finally ready to tag dehumidifiers, dishwashers, freezers, refrigerators, air conditioners, and washing machines with a new and improved EnergyGuide label. More »

chinese poison train

Food Labels Lack Country Of Origin Info Despite 5 Year Old Law

Unlike seafood, the meat, produce and nuts you buy don't have a country of origin label, despite a 5 year old law that says they should, according to the New York Times. Lobbyists and congresspeople have managed to hold off enforcement of the law since it was passed in 2002, but now proponents of country of origin labels (COOL) think they may have enough momentum from the Chinese Poison Train to finally make the label a reality. From the NYT:
"No. 1, there's a basic consumer right to know," said Michael Hansen, senior scientist at Consumers Union, an advocacy group that publishes Consumer Reports magazine and supports the labeling law. "People are more and more concerned about the food they eat."
More »