Who reads the terms of service on gift cards? Maybe not everyone, but four consumer advocacy groups have your back and are petitioning Starbucks to remove certain provisions in time for the holiday season. [More]
Food & Personal Care
San Francisco Burger Kings Also Charging $.10 To Get Around Kids' Meal Toy Ban
By 12.1.11
Today, San Francisco’s dreaded ban on including free toys in fast food kids’ meals kicks in. McDonald’s has already announced that it will get around the regulation by charging an additional $.10 for the definitely-not-covered-in-lead-paint-and-cadmium toys. And because everyone loves a loophole, the royal court of the Burger King has ruled that it will also follow suit. [More]
Get Your Cheap Eat On: Subway To Offer $2 Sandwiches In December
By 11.30.11
Not in the mood for an entire $5 foot-long sub? The holiday season has brought yet another gift, in the form of a deal: Starting tomorrow and going through December, you can grab a $2 six-inch sandwich from Subway. [More]
CDC Says Most HIV Patients Don't Have Infection Under Control
By 11.30.11
Although HIV doesn’t dominate headlines like it did 20 years ago, the virus still rages out of control in most patients it infects. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, most HIV-afflicted patients don’t take the drugs they need to manage their conditions. Scarier still, as many as 20 percent of those with HIV don’t know they’re infected. [More]
Consumer Reports Study Finds High Levels Of Arsenic & Lead In Some Fruit Juice
By 11.30.11
While federal standards set limits for the amount of arsenic and lead in tap and bottled water, but no such hard line exists for fruit juices, even though such drinks are dietary staples of children. Thus, our cousins-in-arms at Consumer Reports set to testing some juices, only to turn up results that should cause concern among parents and lawmakers. [More]
Political Commentary On A Pizza Hut Sign?
By 11.29.11
As you’ve probably heard, the longstanding rule that classifies 1/8 cup of tomato paste as a serving of vegetables in kids’ school lunches — thus allowing a slice of pizza to qualify as a serving of veggies — was set to be changed, but political maneuvering recently scuttled that change. And not everyone is thrilled with that. [More]
Mid-Calorie Pepsi Next To Launch Nationally Next Year
By 11.17.11
Cola drinkers in Wisconsin and Iowa have apparently given the thumbs up to Pepsi Next, the “mid-calorie” drink being test-marketed in the two states. PepsiCo plans to go national with the 60-calorie soft drink next spring. [More]
Would You Like Some Gold-Infused Cheese?
By 11.17.11
Fancy artisanal cheeses are all very well and good, but what if you want your dairy products to sparkle? If you enjoy sparkly foods and flaunting your wealth, perhaps Clawson Stilton Gold is for you. The cheese costs £60 per 100-gram slice, or around $95 for about 3.5 ounces. It’s a white Stilton cheese with generous helpings of gold-cinnamon schnapps and edible gold leaf. [More]
Starbucks Busted For Hidden Fee On Bagged Coffee
By 11.14.11
See that bag of coffee grounds at Starbucks that’s listed at $12/pound? Well, if you buy less than a pound, there’s a fee of $1.50 that isn’t mentioned anywhere in the store and doesn’t show up as a fee on the receipt. But now, after being busted by authorities in Massachusetts, the java giant has decided to stop charging the fee. [More]
FDA Threatens Stores That Sell Tobacco To Kids
By 11.11.11
The Food and Drug Administration is going after businesses suspected of selling cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to minors, sending out letters to 1,200 stores and threatening eventual fines if they fail to comply with the law. The FDA says it has conducted 27,500 inspections to make sure retailers aren’t violating restrictions on such activities as setting up cigarette vending machines, selling cigarettes and failing to check IDs. [More]
Starbucks To Get Into The Juice Bar Business
By 11.10.11
Tired of selling someone else’s juice, Starbucks has not only purchased a juice company, but also plans to branch out into a separate retail juice business. [More]
CVS Makes Mistake, Robocalls Me Incessantly For Their 3 Bucks
By 11.10.11
Sarah noticed after a visit to the pharmacy that the technician had failed to charge her for one of her prescriptions. It’s difficult for her to get into town from her college campus, so she figured because it’s the store’s error, she’d let it go. Karma does not agree, and has sent swift and annoying punishment down for Sarah. She must pay for the prescription, or the CVS system will robocall her several times per day reminding her to pick up the prescription. [More]
Man Tries To Rob Burger King With A Sock
By 11.9.11
You know the economy is bad when crooks can’t even afford decent stick-up weapons. Police have arrested a man who tried to rob a Burger King, using a sock. [More]
That Honey In Your Cabinet Probably Isn't Honey
By 11.9.11
Most of the honey on store shelves isn’t the genuine article. This according to testing findings, which found that most products labeled as honey are actually flower nectar with pollen filtered out. This filtering process disqualifies the product form passing most worldwide quality standards. [More]
Customer Finds Live Tree Frog In Salad Bought At Costco
By 11.2.11 — Updated: 4.29.13
Everyone knows you’re supposed to rinse out your salad to get rid of any dirt before you chow down, but the food safety folks rarely mention the presence of frogs. So you can imagine the surprise that one California woman had on Monday when she spotted a living croaker in the salad she’d just bought from Costco. [More]
Burger King Japan Now Selling A "Pizza-Size" Whopper
By 11.2.11
Some of you may remember the BK Whopper Bar in New York City’s 9.5″ diameter Pizza Burger from 2010. Well, a version of that monster has crossed the globe to hit the stomachs of Japanese eaters. [More]
FDA Study Concludes That ADHD Meds Don't Cause Heart Problems
By 11.2.11
A Food and Drug Administration study found that those who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can take medications without increasing their risk of heart problems. The study focused on patients ages 2 through 24. [More]
FDA Trying To Protect Us From Salmonella By Testing Pet Food
By 11.1.11
Salmonella is a nasty little pathogen that can get into your home in any number of ways. That’s why the Food and Drug Administration has begun testing pet food, treats and supplements for Salmonella in an effort to keep the bacteria at bay. [More]
