Reader Joy spotted an odd price discrepancy between the MSRP on the label of this bottle of mouthwash at Walgreens and the price on the shelf. So she whipped out her iPhone and sent in a picture of it to us using our new Consumerist Tipster App. She chose “2” as her “Anger Level,” indicating “a failure to communicate.” The real question is whether the rinse rings up as $1.99 or $2.99 at the register. Either way, annoying. [More]
Food & Personal Care
Some Endocet Recalled For Having Double The Acetaminophen
By 6.28.11
Bottles of the pain-killing drug Endocet are being recalled because they erroneously contain 650 mg of acetaminophen while their label says 325 mg. While no injuries have been reported, consuming more acetaminophen than prescribed can lead to liver toxicity. [More]
Coca-Cola Raising Prices 3-4% In July
By 6.27.11
Just in time for 4th of July picnics, sucking down the sweet elixirs spewed out by Coca-Cola is about to get a little pricier. Citing the rising cost of commodities, the bottling giant announced it’s going to raise prices 2-3% in July. [More]
Dole Recalls Some Bag Salads Because Listeria Isn't Part Of The "Italian Blend"
By 6.23.11
The folks at Dole have announced a recall of certain batches of its Italian Blend bag salads — including those it makes under the Kroger Fresh Selections Italian Style Blend name for the Kroger grocery store chain — over concern of possible Listeria contamination. [More]
If I Hadn't Checked, CVS Would Have Charged $228 For A $28 Generic
By 6.22.11
Had David’s wife not probed closely, she could have ended up paying $228 for generic Fosamax that could have been easily gotten for $24. He’s sharing the story as a cautionary tale so that other people who are getting their maintenance prescriptions covered by their employer’s insurance don’t end up overpaying for generics. [More]
FDA Unveils New Tobacco Warning Labels For Teens To Laugh At While They Smoke
By 6.21.11
Last fall, the Food & Drug Administration announced they would be requiring tobacco packaging to carry larger and more graphic warning labels. And because our governmental agencies move like quicksilver, it only took about seven months for the FDA to finalize the nine images that will soon decorate your pack of Kools. [More]
Burger King Launches All-Whopper Channel On DirecTV
By 6.16.11
Looking for something to watch but don’t really like shows with scripts, actors or dramatic arcs? Then Burger King and DirecTV have come up with a channel for you, especially if you want a free Whopper. [More]
Xanthan Gum Is The Secret To Making Your Own Frappuccino At Home For $.32
By 6.16.11
If you’ve ever tried to come up with your own version of the Starbucks Frappuccino at home, you may have run into this problem. It separates. That lovely smooth texture and consistency you enjoy at the Sbux emporium just seems unobtainable on your own. But it turns out the secret is a simple and cheap ingredient you can find next to the flour in the supermarket: xanthan gum! [More]
Starbucks Responds To Alleged "Attack" On Gay Worker
By 6.15.11
After a woman’s story about a Starbucks worker she allegedly saw getting forced to hand in his keys while being told by a shift supervisor his co-workers didn’t want to hear about him being gay anymore went viral, the coffee giant has pledged to investigate. [More]
Walgreens "Sorry" They Gave Patient 10x Recommended Dosage
By 6.15.11
She was hit with incredible pain and muscle spasms in her chest so bad that Arizona woman thought she was going to die. The strike was so severe she would turn red and purple. Sometimes she would have a hundred of these attacks each day, each time thinking that this would be the one that would kill her. Now Walgreens tells ABC15 that they’re “sorry” for refilling her prescription with 50mcg pills. She was only supposed to get 5mcg ones. [More]
800 NYC Restaurants Caught Trying To Hide Sub-Par Health Inspection Grades
By 6.15.11
Last summer, the New York City Board of Health began requiring all restaurants to post the letter-grade results of their latest health inspections. But a large number of eateries with non-A marks opted either to not post their grade or post it in a spot where no one could see it. [More]
FDA Announces New Labeling Standards For Sunscreen
By 6.14.11
Earlier today, the Food and Drug Administration announced new labeling guidlines for sunscreen in an effort to make it clear to consumers which products offer the best chance of keeping your skin from turning into shoe leather. [More]
Iowa & Wisconsin Cola Drinkers To Be Guinea Pigs In Test Of "Pepsi Next"
By 6.14.11
Even though the news was leaked back in early April that (Pepsi would be trying out a mid-calorie cola called Pepsi Next), the company has only just now gotten around to confirming the drink’s existence, along with the fact that it will begin testing Pepsi Next in Iowa and Wisconsin starting next month. [More]
BK Attacks Japan With Mini Spam Burgers For Women
By 6.13.11
Swinging the pendulum away from their “Meat Monsters” offering, Burger King is dropping slider-style BK Bites on Japan in a variety of meat patties. Besides the usual beef, you can get a chicken patty or a Spam patty. That’s right, delicious Spam. And it’s for the ladies. “What Women Want, Women Get,” is the tagline for the Spam and BLT mini combo, which the chain describes as “lighter” and “suitable for women.” I can only hope something is getting lost in translation, but methinks it’s not really. [More]
Taco Bell CEO: If Chipotle Is BMW, We're Hyundai
By 6.7.11
Curiously Australian Taco Bell CEO Greg Creed has no delusions about the product his company sells. Not that he thinks it’s bad food, but that that, well… you often get what you pay for when you buy an $.89 taco. And Creed doesn’t really worry about competing with Chipotle. [More]
German Sprouts Not Deadly E.coli Culprit, Initial Tests Show
By 6.6.11
German sprouts are not the cause of the deadly e.coli outbreak that has killed 22 and sickened over 2,000, according to initial tests of samples from a farm that a German agriculture minister had earlier named as the epicenter. The retraction is only the latest in a series of confusing finger-pointings and “cucumber slurs,” and has left European consumers afraid to eat a salad. [More]
"Super-Toxic" E.Coli Strain Kills 18 In Europe
By 6.3.11
A virulent strain of antibiotic-resistant E.coli has left 18 dead in Europe, left over 1,800 sick, and touched off a continent-wide scare against all produce, suspected to be the source of the infection. [More]
"Nutrition Plate" Replaces "Food Pyramid"
By 6.2.11
It was announced this morning that the much-derided USDA “food pyramid” has gone the way of the Pharaohs and will be replaced by a simpler “nutrition plate” that for the first time emphasizes vegetables over all other food groups. [More]
