Sunscreen makers can say almost anything they want about their product’s sun protection factor or water fighting ability because the FDA’s sunscreen regulations are a just a teensy bit late. Well, they’re actually thirty-two years late, but the FDA swears that they’re going to publish final regulations by October. Except maybe not. So what can consumers do in the meantime? [More]
Government Policy
New York Proposes Nation's Highest Cigarette Taxes
By 6.19.10
Cigarettes may cost more than $10 per pack in New York under the state’s latest plan to close a $9 billion budget gap. In New York City, the tax alone on a pack of cigarettes would rise to $5.85. And cigarettes aren’t the only carcinogens set for a tax bump under the proposal. [More]
Salmonella Recall Notices No Match For Hungry, Oblivious Consumers
By 6.19.10
Look, when the Centers for Disease Control recalls your frozen pot pie because it’s contaminated with salmonella, don’t eat it. Sure, it sounds easy, but hundreds of consumers apparently fell ill in 2007 even after ConAgra yanked millions of contaminated Banquet pies from store shelves. So just who were these sickened frozen pot pie devotees? [More]
NY Times Threatens Neighborhoodies' Hosting Company Over Herald Tribune Logo
By 6.18.10
On Thursday, we wrote about the NY Times Company threatening to sue custom-apparel company Neighborhoodies over its use of the logo for the long-dead New York Herald Tribune newspaper. And now that the ‘hoodies have made it clear that they have no intent on complying with the Times’ cease-and-desist order, the media giant has made an end-run around the shirt sellers, threatening legal action against the company that hosts Neighborhoodies’ site. [More]
Health Cops Tell Schools To Cook Up Alternatives To Bake Sales
By 6.18.10
As part of its never-ending battle of the bulge, New York’s health police have found a new target: bake sales that schools use as fund raising events. The sales have already been limited to once a month, and barred during school hours. Now, the city’s Health Department has warned parents that they need to look for other ways to raise dough. [More]
Banks Luring You Into Signing Back Up For High Overdraft Fees
By 6.18.10
Banks are mad they can’t just automatically charge you a $35 overdraft anymore if you happen to try to buy a candy bar without enough cash in your account. Newly enacted legislation says they have to get you to opt-in to such overdraft programs. So, what they’re doing is renaming the overdraft programs something else, making them sound awesome, and then blitzing your mailbox and inbox with up-sells. Some banks are even calling people up! [More]
Are They Trying To Starve Us? Now Marie Callender Recalled For Salmonella
By 6.18.10
First they took our Spaghetti-o’s, kombucha, and cat food, now Marie Callendar cheesy chicken and rice frozen meals have been recalled for a possible link to a salmonella outbreak in 14 states. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO EAT? [More]
Uh-Oh: 15 Million Pounds Of SpaghettiOs Recalled By Campbell's
By 6.18.10
I never got the whole SpaghettiOs thing. It always kinda tasted like noodles in ketchup to me. And now I’m quite thankful I’m not a fan, because Campbell Soup Co. has issued a recall for 15 million pounds worth of SpaghettiOs products do to the presence of undercooked meat in the canned pastas. [More]
Students, Your College May Be Selling Your Info To Banks
By 6.18.10
Just in case students don’t slog through college with enough debt hanging over them, their colleges and universities have cut semi-secret deals with banks to share personal info meant to market credit to them afterward. The Huffington Post says Bank of America has such deals with 700 schools. [More]
Female Answer To Viagra Just Can't Stand Up To Testing Says FDA
By 6.17.10
Sad news for the world of gettin-it-on today: A drug that had been intended as a female analog to Viagra has not only not shown promise in tests, but has actually demonstrated some quite non-sexy side effects. [More]
More Moldy Barfy Benadryl And Tylenol Recalled
By 6.17.10
Oopsy-poopsies! Johnson and Johnson forgot to recall four “lots” of Benadryl Allergy Ultratabs and one lot of Extra Strength Tylenol Rapid Release Gels along with the dozens already recalled in Jan. J&J took the pills off the market after consumers complained they smelled moldy and in a few cases, caused vomiting and diarrhea. [More]
City Of Philly Says You're On Your Own Against Rabid Street Animals
By 6.17.10
Eliza writes us about her boss and others who who were stalked by a rabid groundhog in Philadelphia like something out of Predator. They called the city’s animal control department and were juggled around and dismissed. [More]
New Rules To Cap Credit Card Late Fees At $25
By 6.15.10
New rules announced today will take some of the sting out of those penalties that hit you when you don’t pay your credit card bill on time. Most fees will be capped at $25, regardless of your balance, and can be much lower in some cases. If your minimum payment is $10 and you’re late, your late fee can’t go above $10. [More]
Kroger Issues Recall Of Unintentionally Nutty Ice Cream
By 6.15.10
If you bought some Kroger Deluxe Chocolate Paradise Ice Cream recently and have a nut allergy, you might want to read this before chowing down. The grocery store chain has recalled this particular ice cream in 17 states because it may contain tree nuts not listed on the label. [More]
Washington Wants Better Oversight Of For-Profit Colleges
By 6.15.10
Enrollment in for-profit colleges like the University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and Kaplan University–Gawker calls them fake colleges–tripled in the past decade, and has become such a fast-growing segment of the education market that some members of Congress think it needs better oversight. [More]
Target Realizes Spain Is No Longer A Dictatorship; Pulls Shirt With Franco Flag
By 6.15.10 — Updated: 9.11.13
While it’s nowhere near as embarrassing as the Walmart Nazi skull shirt fiasco of 2007-08, the folks at Target are more than a little red in the face after having to pull a shirt featuring the former flag of Spain, which is now closely associated with murder-happy dictator General Francisco Franco. [More]
How Card Issuers Sneak Around New Laws
By 6.14.10
Crafty credit card issuers aren’t going to let a little thing like the law get in the way of their profits. Nope, they’re finding creative ways to get around the pro-consumer CARD act and maintain their grip on your pocketbook. [More]
USDA Wants To Make Sure That Organic Food From China Is Really Organic
By 6.14.10
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has banned one of the biggest food inspector groups in the nation from operating in China, reports the New York Times, because of conflict of interest concerns. It turns out the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) was using employees of a Chinese government agency to inspect Chinese government-owned farms, which sort of misses the point of independent certification entirely. [More]
