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Dunkin' Donuts To Eliminate Most Trans Fat By October 15

By consumeristcarey 8.26.07

Dunkin’ Donuts will announce tomorrow that over 50 menu items, including donuts, will become virtually trans fat free by October 15. The donut maker is relying on a reformulated cooking oil made from palm, soybean, and cottonseed oils. Over 400 locations secretly tested the new formula over the past four months, and according to Dunkin’, “we got no negative consumer feedback, and we sold 50 million doughnuts in that time.” The CSPI reacted favorably to the news, saying:

“It’s good news that they’re dropping most, if not quite all, trans fat,” said Jeff Cronin, spokesman for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based nonprofit. “If Dunkin’ Donuts can do that, anyone can.”

ftc

FTC Asks For Diet Pill Spammer's Assets Frozen

By consumerist.com 8.23.07

OMG, HGH isn’t raised by “Hoodia” pills promoted by spam? Still, the FTC ordered a restraining order and asset freeze. That’s good. Only thousands of more spam-kings to go, two of which spring up every time you shut one down. [FTC]

actually, this is good

Medicare Won't Pay Hospitals For Preventable Errors

By consumerist.com 8.22.07

Medicare No Longer to Pay for Preventable Hospital Errors, Injuries or Infections [Washington Post]

recalls

5 Things To Do To Avoid Lead Poisoning

By consumerist.com 8.20.07

Consumer Reports has five things parents can do to avoid poisoning their children with leadly toys:

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FDA Reverses Course, Decides Now Might Not Be The Time To Close Half Its Field Labs

By consumeristcarey 8.18.07

Bowing to pressure from Congress, the FDA has decided not to close more than half of its field labs. The ill-timed plan to consolidate seven of the agency’s thirteen labs in the name of efficiency and modernization was already under review by a Presidential panel, and had raised the ire of the powerful Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, John Dingell, who recently introduced legislation to block the reorganization.

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FDA Says No Cough Syrup For Toddlers Without Doctor Approval

By Meg Marco 8.17.07

“Questions have been raised about the safety of these products and whether the benefits justify any potential risks from the use of these products in children, especially in children under 2 years of age,” the agency said.

health

How To Treat Lead Poisoning

By consumerist.com 8.15.07

Lead Poisoning [WebMD]

health

How To Detect Lead Poisoning

By consumerist.com 8.15.07

Amidst the lead paint recalls, parents are turning to home-based lead test kits to protect their children and families from lead poisoning.

health

Health Insurance Brokers Can Help You Avoid Getting Rejected For Having Been Rejected

By consumerist.com 8.14.07

When shopping around for health insurance, getting a rejection on your record can turn off other providers from granting coverage. The trick, then, would be to know what your rejection chances are, based on your personal stats and preexisting conditions, before applying.

health

Tecnu Washes Away Poison Ivy Oils Instead Of Just Dulling The Itch

By consumerist.com 8.13.07

We got some poison ivy and first we tried our Hot/Cold water method. In this, first you run hot water on the rash until it’s so hot you can’t stand it. Then hold it there. Then flip the water to freezing. Your nerves will be so freaked out they won’t know how to itch for the next few fours.

staph

Should The Government Require Hospitals To Disclose Infection Rates?

By cwalters 8.11.07

Earlier this month the governor of New Jersey signed into law a regulation that requires all hospitals in the state to report MRSA infection rates (that’s the drug-resistant staph infection you always hear about). And last week, a sate-appointed panel in Massachusetts recommended that laws be passed requiring all hospitals to publicly report infection rates. Should the government regulate hospitals in this manner? And if your state doesn’t require it, is there any way you can find out on your own?

health

Publix Stops Price-Matching Walmart's $4 Drug Plan

By Meg Marco 8.10.07

Bad news for people who were enjoying Publix’s policy of price-matching Walmart’s $4 generic drug plan—they’ve discontinued it, opting instead of offer free antibiotics.

health

67% Of Consumers Satisfied With Their Health Insurance; Are 67% Of Consumers Drunk?

By cwalters 8.9.07

10% had trouble getting an appointment to see a doctor
21% had to deal with billing errors
25% had problems with their primary care providers
36% had trouble getting help when they called a plan representative for assistance

health

Publix Offers 7 Types Of Antibiotics For Free

By Meg Marco 8.7.07

Fourteen-day supplies of the seven drugs, among the most commonly prescribed, will be available at all 684 of the chain’s pharmacies in five states. Publix said it is not limiting the number of prescriptions that customers may fill for free.

alcohol and tobacco tax and trade bureau

Should Alcoholic Beverages Have Nutrition Labels?

By consumeristcarey 8.5.07

Our alcoholic uncle always swore that booze was healthy, and if the Treasury Department has its way, nutrition labels on alcoholic beverages may soon have people thinking he was right. A rule issued last week by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau would require all alcoholic beverages to sport a panel listing traditional information like serving size and alcohol content, along with data on calorie, carbohydrate, fat, and protein content. The alcoholic beverage industry vigorously supports the rule, but some advocacy organizations are concerned that the nutrition labels might imply that alcoholic beverages have some nutritional value. Tell us what you think of the proposed rule in our poll, after the jump.

health

Despite Ban, Fries From Burger King And Wendy's Still Contain Too Much Trans Fat

By consumeristcarey 8.4.07

A report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest found that fries from Burger King and Wendy’s still contain too much trans fat, despite a recent ban imposed by New York City. The CSPI made the discovery after shuttling fries from Burger King, Wendy’s and McDonald’s to an independent lab. Tests showed that fries from both Burger King and Wendy’s contained more than 3 grams of trans fat per serving, compared to McDonald’s fries, which contained only 0.2 grams of trans fat per serving. The chains are not violating New York City’s ban on trans fat, yet.

health

Office Printers Spew As Many Particles As Smoldering Cigarettes

By consumeristcarey 8.3.07

Everyone hates the office printer, including scientists who blame the printers for emitting dangerous amounts of ultra-fine particles. Scientists from Queensland University examined printers from Canon, Hewlett-Packard, Ricoh and Toshiba. Their findings don’t condemn any one brand: the HP LaserJet 4050 emitted no particles, while the the HP LaserJet 1320 and 4250 raised the particle count of the surrounding air tenfold. From the LA Times:

Morawska did not originally set out to study printers. She was invited by the Queensland Department of Public Works to measure air quality inside a six-floor office building near a busy road.

philip morris

Senate Committee Votes To Give FDA Power To Regulate Tobacco

By consumeristcarey 8.3.07

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee voted 13-8 to empower the FDA to regulate tobacco products. States and municipalities have spent years shoving cigarettes out of the public domain, but the FDA would be able to control cigarette advertising, mandate bigger, European-style warning labels, and regulate nicotine content. Only Congress has the power to ban cigarettes outright. From the Boston Globe:

Yesterday’s slim majority however, came as Republican-sponsored amendments loom that could gut the bill’s main intent.

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