Late last year, Pepsi prepared to introduce a new beverage, the old-timey and upscale 1893, or as its trademark application called it, “1893 From the Makers of Pepsi-Cola.” It’s just one of many products taking advantage of a strange trend in soft drinks right now: making products with real sugar is a selling point, something that the industry might not have expected just a few years ago. [More]
Food & Personal Care
UPDATE: Pepsi Says Organic Gatorade Still Slated For 2016 Release
By 3.30.16
UPDATE: After an earlier report that Pepsi was pushing back the release date of its new organic Gatorade to 2017, a spokeswoman for the company reached out to Consumerist and said that unfortunately, “the wrong date was shared” in the media outlet’s interview. [More]
Woman Says She Was Asked To Stop Breastfeeding At Ohio Pizza Hut
By 3.29.16
Under Ohio state law, public establishments – including restaurants and retail stores – must allow mothers to breastfeed their children. But one woman says a Pizza Hut restaurant she visited didn’t follow that rule and asked her to leave when she started nursing her child. [More]
Lawsuit: CVS Told Security Guards To Watch Minority Shoppers
By 3.29.16
A year after four former CVS security workers filed a federal lawsuit against the company alleging their supervisors ordered them to keep an eye on minority shoppers at some New York City stores, another former “market investigator” in Brooklyn has levied similar allegations against the pharmacy chain in a new class-action lawsuit. [More]
Gerber Recalls Two Baby Food Pouch Varieties Because You Shouldn’t Feed Your Kid Anything Spoiled
By 3.24.16
Giving your child a pouch of baby food can make for a convenient and less messy dinner. But you know what might make that dinner a little bit less delicious? Coming down with an upset stomach and then finding out what’s inside that pouch is spoiled. For that reason, Gerber announced the recall of select Organic pouch products. [More]
Starbucks Launching Pumpkin Spice K-Cups
By 3.24.16
We’re still months away from peak pumpkin spice season, but that’s not stopping one of the most well-known pumpkin-flavor peddlers from starting to tease its fall strategy. Starbucks says it’ll launch a new “Pumpkin Spice Caffè Latte” K-Cup this fall. [More]
Starbucks Launching Prepaid Card That Lets Rewards Members Earn Loyalty Points
By 3.23.16
In a bid to lure more people to sign up for its loyalty program, Starbucks is launching a prepaid debit card soon that will let users rack up rewards “stars.” [More]
Why Does My Alcohol-Free Product List Alcohol As An Ingredient?
By 3.23.16
When shopping for personal care products like antibacterial soap or hand sanitizer, many customers look for brands that don’t contain skin-drying alcohol. So what happens when you pick up an item that’s clearly marked “alcohol-free,” but upon closer inspection, the ingredients list includes at least one “alcohol” component? [More]
Whole Foods Shopper Says He Found Animal Bone In Trail Mix
By 3.23.16
A New Jersey man who bought trail mix from Whole Foods says his snack came with an extra, unexpected crunch: the bone of an animal mixed in with the dried fruit and nuts. [More]
Strawberry Shortcake Oreos Will Hit Walmart Shelves On April 4
By 3.22.16
Yesterday, we shared an image that leaked online of what appeared to be an upcoming novelty Oreo flavor: strawberry shortcake. This was slightly confusing, since we were under the impression that marketers and flavor mavens had declared strawberry shortcake to be one of the official flavors of Valentine’s Day. In the cookie aisle, it will be a flavor of spring and summer, hitting shelves at Walmart on April 4. [More]
CDC Says Salmonella Outbreak In Cucumbers That Began In August Is Finally Over
By 3.22.16
The Salmonella Poona outbreak that started last year in cucumbers imported from Mexico caused 907 known illnesses in 40 states, sent at least 204 people to the hospital, and caused four known deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has finally declared the outbreak to be over, concluding that they couldn’t find how the cucumbers became contaminated in the first place. [More]
New Warning Labels Coming To Opioid Painkillers
By 3.22.16
A week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called on physicians to stop prescribing opioid painkillers when less-problematic therapeutic treatments will do the trick, another federal agency is joining in the effort to alert consumers to the potential risks of using these frequently prescribed medications. [More]
Starbucks Announces Plans To Donate All Edible Unsold Food
By 3.22.16
In the last few years, Starbucks has significantly expanded its repertoire of breakfast and lunch foods other than pastries. What it hasn’t been able to do is figure out a consistent way to donate all of those salads and sandwiches so that they don’t go to waste. Founder and CEO Howard Schultz announced today in an interview that this is going to change. [More]
Strawberry Shortcake Oreos May Hit Stores In Time For Summer
By 3.21.16
The junk food industry really needs to get its message straight. Is strawberry shortcake a flavor for Valentine’s Day, or for summer? Nabisco has made its argument, with strawberry shortcake flavored Oreos coming out soon, probably for summer. We checked with Oreo-maker Mondelēz, and will let you know if we get any confirmed information. (Instagram via The Impulsive Buy) [More]
Health Authorities: Raw Milk From PA Dairy Linked To Fatal Case Of Listeriosis
By 3.21.16
While you can’t just buy raw milk anywhere, there are some ways consumers can get their hands on the product, nonetheless, despite warnings from health officials that the unpasteurized product can carry dangerous bacteria. That risk proved fatal in one of two recent listeriosis cases that health authorities say are linked to a Pennsylvania dairy. [More]
Domino’s Testing Pizza Delivery Robots In New Zealand
By 3.18.16
If the robot revolution is going to come eventually, at least our future overlords may arrive to enslave us bearing pizza: Domino’s is trying out a battery-powered delivery robot in Wellington, New Zealand, calling it “the world’s first autonomous pizza delivery vehicle.” [More]
Starbucks Customers Suing Over Allegedly Skimpy Latte Servings
By 3.18.16
It can be tough when you don’t get enough coffee in the morning — you’re tired and cranky all day, your coworkers hide from your scorching gaze, etc. — and you have no one to blame but yourself for not getting more caffeine. Some Starbucks customers are blaming their lack of coffee on the company, claiming in a class action lawsuit that the chain consistently underfills its lattes. [More]
CDC Urges Primary Care Physicians To Stop Over-Prescribing Painkillers
By 3.16.16
Physicians in the U.S. write more than 250 million prescriptions a year for opioid painkillers — and that’s not including all the painkiller prescriptions written for patients with cancer or acute/chronic pain. That’s enough for every adult in the U.S. to have their own bottle of pills. Meanwhile, every day more than 40 Americans die after overdosing on opioids. That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging primary care physicians — who prescribe about half of all opioids — to rethink how generous they are with their prescriptions. [More]
