Cocamide diethanolamine (cocamide DEA) is a chemically-modified form of coconut oil, sometimes used as a thickener or foaming agent in a number of products. It has also been listed by the state of California as a known carcinogen, meaning manufacturers are required to include a warning on the label. But recent tests found 98 shampoos, soaps, and other personal care products, that contain the chemical but don’t have any warning. [More]
Food & Personal Care
Burger King To Offer $1 “French Fry Burger” Because Why Not
By 8.27.13
Because customers were apparently too tired — or had never thought — to lift up the bun on their hamburgers and insert a few french fries for added fun and flavor, Burger King has announced it will begin selling a $1 “French Fry Burger” starting Sept. 1. [More]
Garlic Bread Is Coming, And Every Subway Will Smell Like Olive Garden
By 8.26.13
In a move that at least one commentator has compared to the novelty factor of Doritos Locos tacos, next week Subway will introduce a special limited-time bread offering: garlic bread. Depending on your opinion of the smell of garlic, this will make future visits to Subway either amazing or unbearable. [More]
Colorado, Florida Residents Really Love “Fast Casual” Restaurants
By 8.26.13
“Fast casual” is that vague food industry term for eateries that nicer than your typical fast food joint but aren’t really what you would consider sit-down restaurants. They’re the kind of place where you often get lunch at a counter, but the food and service are generally better [Think Chipotle or Panera]. It’s been a growth segment in an industry that’s been somewhat flat in recent years, and according to a new survey, six of the 10 most dense fast casual populations are in either Colorado or Florida. [More]
Is This The Farthest Away You Can Get From A Subway In The Continental U.S.?
By 8.26.13
We’ve been writing for years about the McFarthest project, an effort to locate the spot in the contiguous 48 states that is the farthest away from a McDonald’s. Last week, in a story about how Subways outnumber McD’s by nearly 2-to-1, I challenged readers to try to figure out where one would need to go to be the farthest away from a Subway. One reader has stepped up to try. [More]
Tainted Guinea Pig Street Meat Suspected Of Sending 81 To The Hospital
By 8.26.13
While you might see a guinea pig and think, “Oh, I used to have one of those as a pet and it made funny grunting sounds,” there are plenty of people who see a guinea pig and think, “Mmm, dinner.” Health officials in Minnesota say 81 of the latter kind of people were felled by tainted guinea pig meat and other food at a street fair this month in big case of suspected salmonella poisoning. [More]
Why Does CVS Need A HIPAA Waiver To Count How Many Prescriptions You Fill?
By 8.22.13
If you don’t mind trading your shopping history and personal data for free stuff or discounts, loyalty card programs offer some great benefits if you were going to be loyal to a business in the first place. The question is, how much of your privacy are you willing to give up for some discounts? [More]
Subway Now Outnumbers 30 Of The 50 Largest Fast Food Chains… Combined
By 8.21.13
People joke about their being a Starbucks or McDonald’s on every corner in America — and in some parts of the country that seems true — but did you know there are more Subway restaurants in the U.S. than there are Starbucks and McDonald’s combined? [More]
Do Food Regulators Care If Foreign Farmers Use Veterinary Drugs Banned In The U.S.?
By 8.21.13
Later this week, the United Nations food standards agency will be meeting in Minneapolis to discuss, among other things, standards for ten veterinary drugs that are banned for use in the U.S. but not globally. Fearing that continued use of these drugs by farmers in other countries could result in these banned chemicals still reaching the American market, a group of consumer advocates have called on federal regulators to not only take a tougher stance, but to stop encouraging the use of these drugs elsewhere. [More]
August Food And Drug Recall Roundup – Ginger Lead Candies And Drug-Packed Supplements
By 8.20.13 — Updated: 8.21.13
Our monthly Recall Roundups have grown so expansive that we’ve had to separate them into two separate roundups: one for consumer goods, and one for consumables. [More]
McDonald’s Driver Texts Customer To Ask If His Spit-Filled Meal Was Tasty
By 8.20.13
Some people like it when they get a follow-up call or e-mail from a business asking if they were were satisfied with their experience. That’s not so true for the McDonald’s customer in South Korea who got a text from a McDonald’s delivery driver asking him if he’d enjoyed the extra helping of saliva on his food. [More]
Taco Bell Now Testing Waffle Tacos Filled With Fruit Or Fried Chicken
By 8.20.13
After expanding their experimental waffle taco to more cities, word on the street is that Taco Bell is also testing different fillings for the folded breakfast treat. The new offerings include a waffle filled with whipped cream and fruit, and a waffle with a piece of fried chicken in it. [More]
Studies Link Plastic Food Packaging To Diabetes, Obesity Risks In Kids
By 8.19.13
Because there are apparently not enough studies to convince the Food and Drug Administration that controversial chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) should not be used in just about every form of food packaging, yet another study has been published linking BPA to childhood obesity. Meanwhile, a separate study released today showed a possible connection between a widely used plasticizer and diabetes. [More]
Coffee Shop Owner: Limiting Laptop Squatters Has Boosted My Sales
By 8.19.13
Ever since the advent of the whole coffee-shop-as-satellite-office thing, some have operated under the notion that java joints should do what they can to cater to and keep customers sitting in seats for hours on end while they toil on their laptops. But one store owner says his business has actually seen an increase in sales after he decided to put limits on the laptop-lugging squatters. [More]
Burger King Russia Positions Whopper As Substitute For Opium And/Or McDonald’s
By 8.16.13
People are often quipping that fast food has a drug-like quality that keeps customers coming back for more, but the folks at Burger King’s Russian operation are making the connection quite literal, while at the same time apparently poking fun at McDonald’s. [More]
Chipotle: Chipotle Is Only Chipotle If It’s Sold By Chipotle
By 8.16.13
Check out that smoked hot chili pepper in your hand. Is it a chipotle or a Chipotle pepper? If you want to sell it to someone else as a flavor or otherwise, it darn well better be a chipotle, or Chipotle Mexican Grill will bring the legal hurt. The burrito chain recently settled a lawsuit with Jack in the Box for marketing a “Chipotle Chicken Club Combo” — complete with a “Chipotload of flavor — even though the sandwich was a limited-time deal and isn’t available anymore. [More]
Chipotle Considers Using Beef Treated With Antibiotics
By 8.14.13
Chipotle prides itself on its meat policy of responsibly raised, antibiotic-free beef, chicken and pork. But that could be changing soon, as the burrito chain says it’s considering the idea of allowing cows that have been treated with antibiotics to remain in the supply chain. It’s only thinking about it so far — until now, only sick animals were allowed to be treated and then they had to be removed from the rest of the herd, and not end up in stores. [More]
New Taco Bell Doritos Locos Tacos Flavor Is Fiery: Reactions From Those Within Earshot
By 8.13.13
When the breathless press release landed in Consumerist’s inbox, panting that the new flavor of Doritos Locos Tacos at Taco Bell would be Fiery Doritos, the first reaction was kind of, “Oh. Okay.” Because sure, sometimes the third time is the charm, but in this case, it feels a bit like we’ve been Doritos Locos Tacos’d out. You try typing that phrase repeatedly over three years of ramped up anticipation about various iterations of a fast food product and see if you can summon any real enthusiasm. [More]
