NCL urges awareness and fact-checking during “Caffeine Awareness Month” – National Consumers League

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March 9, 2017

Contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—March is not only National Nutrition Month but also Caffeine Awareness Month so during this time, the National Consumers League (NCL) is taking the opportunity to raise consumer awareness on the world’s most consumed “pick-me-up.”

“Caffeine consumption is widespread in the U.S., with 85 percent of people drinking at least one caffeinated beverage daily,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL’s Executive Director. “Whether you’re at home, at work, or out and about caffeine is usually within close reach. That’s why we want to not only improve the understanding about caffeine but call on more food and beverage manufacturers to disclose the amount of caffeine contained in their products. This will not only give consumers more transparency, but it also seems like common sense and it’s the right thing to do.”

For the third consecutive year during March, we take a closer look at caffeine–this time fact checking those myths and arming you with some truths that will help consumers make informed choices.

1.  Americans are drinking more caffeine than ever before

MYTH! Despite concerns expressed about proliferation of caffeine in the food supply, statistics indicate that there has not been an overall increase in caffeine intake in the United States in recent years. The principal dietary sources of caffeine also remain the same, with most intake of caffeine remaining from coffee, tea, and soda. This is consistent with a recent FDA-sponsored study that found between 70 and 90 percent of caffeine intake is from coffee and tea.

2.  Slamming down a caffeinated drink quickly will have more of an effect than sipping it slowly

MYTH! Whether you are on the go and consume a drink quickly, or like to sit and enjoy a drink with friends, there is no difference in caffeine’s effect on you. However, the speed of your own metabolism may influence digestion time.

3.  Added caffeine is stronger than naturally occurring sources of caffeine

MYTH! Caffeine is caffeine! There is no chemical or biological difference between the naturally-occurring caffeine in plants – like in coffee, tea, and chocolate – and synthetic caffeine commonly used in sodas, energy drinks, and supplements.

4.  Dogs and cats should not consume caffeine

FACT! While 85 percent of human Americans drink coffee everyday, 100 percent of our furry friends must be kept away from sources of caffeine. Dogs, cats, and birds are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than people are, and even the smallest amount (depending on breed, weight and other factors) can have severe consequences.

5.  Dark roasted coffee is stronger than lighter roasts

MYTH! Contrary to what many people assume, the darker the coffee roast, the LESS caffeine it has. This is because caffeine is heat sensitive, so if you roast coffee beans longer, they will contain less caffeine. For tea, it’s the opposite: the darker the tea, the higher the caffeine content.

6.  Guarana is just another form of caffeine

FACT! Caffeine is found naturally in over 60 plants including coffee beans, cocoa beans, tea leaves, kola nuts, yerba mate, and guarana.

7.  Three cups per day is the maximum amount of coffee an adult should consume

IT DEPENDS… on the type of coffee, the size of your cup, and even how it was prepared. One thing’s for sure: the FDA, Health Canada, and the European Food Safety Authority all acknowledge that 400mg of caffeine per day is a moderate safe daily intake amount for healthy adults. How much is 400mg in terms of cups or servings? See below from lowest to highest caffeine concentration:

  • 16.6 servings of green tea (8 oz./24 mg caffeine)
  • 11.5 servings of brand cola (8 oz./average 35 mg caffeine)
  • 8.5 servings of black tea (8 oz./47 mg caffeine)
  • 5 servings of Red Bull energy drink (8 oz./80 mg caffeine)
  • 4.2 servings of  regular brewed coffee (8 oz./95.2 mg caffeine)
  • 2 servings of 5-Hour Energy (2 oz./200 mg caffeine)
  • <1 serving of energy shots (8 oz./average 480 mg caffeine)

8.  Energy Drinks contain large amounts of caffeine

MYTH!  The major energy drink brands (Red Bull and Monster) contain between 80 to 120 mg caffeine per serving.  For comparison purposes, a cup of home brewed coffee contains approximately 80 mg per cup while a store bought cold brew coffee can have up to 250 mg.  An 8-oz. energy shot contains 480 mg caffeine.

9.  Some people should limit their caffeine consumption 

FACT! Caffeine sensitive people, pregnant women, those who are capable of becoming pregnant, and those who are breastfeeding should consult their health care providers for advice concerning caffeine consumption. Children and teens should generally consume less caffeine due to lower body weight than adults (and parents should monitor). 

10.  All caffeine products declare the amount of caffeine they contain

MYTH! NCL believes that ALL products containing caffeine – no matter whether naturally occurring, contained in a cup, a can, or a candy bar wrapper – should declare the amount of caffeine on the label.

While the FDA requires food labels to disclose added caffeine as an ingredient, the label is not required to provide the amount of caffeine. Very few products list the amount of caffeine they contain, although some companies, like Red Bull and Monster, provide this information voluntarily.

National Nutrition Month is an annual initiative led by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Fighting fraud, one tax return at a time – National Consumers League

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This originally appeared in the Huffington Post on March 8, 2017.

Every year it seems that tax identity thieves get a little bit more brazen about swindling individuals out of their hard-earned tax refunds. Last month the IRS published its list of the”dirty dozen“ tax scams that included classics like phone scams, phishing, and return preparer fraud.

The IRS’ efforts to warn people about the dangers of dishonest or downright criminal fraudsters have been forced by the fact that tax identity fraud has become one of the fastest-growing type of identity theft, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

In fact, as millions raced to file their returns — 52 million so far this year — fraudsters also marked the beginning of tax season by kicking off something much more sinister: tax identity theft season. From 2011 – 2014, identity thieves claimed $23 billion in fraudulent tax refunds. In 2015 alone, tax identity thieves defrauded nearly a quarter million of Americans!

For those who fall victim to tax identity fraud, a letter from the IRS is often their first inkling that they’ve been defrauded. These letters typically tell a consumer that their refund was not accepted because someone else has already filed in their name. This can set off months of delays in obtaining a refund while the IRS investigates the case. For working families who depend on getting that refund check, this can wreak financial havoc.

The IRS is working hard to warn consumers to beware of these scams, but education is only half the battle. They are also fighting scam artists behind the scenes and have made significant inroads reducing tax identity fraud rates. Many of the IRS’ new safeguards are invisible to taxpayers but invaluable in fighting against tax ID fraud. Its efforts have stopped more than 1.4 million fraudulent returns, totaling more than $10.9 billion.

However, one of those not-so-invisible tools the IRS uses to catch fraud has caused delays for a portion of the 152 million refunds expected to be filed this year. The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act provides the IRS with more time to stop scammers before a fraudulent check is ever mailed, but requires the agency to hold refunds for consumers who claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). Fortunately, the wait is finally over and those impacted began receiving their refunds last week. Those EITC and ACTC recipients still waiting for their refund can track it online, and those yet to file can expect to have their refunds processed within the standard 21-day processing window.

For consumers who have yet to file their return, I would tell them not to wait! Yes there are six weeks left before the end of tax season, but every day consumers wait is another day fraudsters can beat them to filing their returns. The most important message I have for the 100 million who’ve yet to file is this: the sooner you file, the better. For anyone receiving a refund, the easiest way to reduce the risk of fraud is to file now.

Whether you’re struggling with tax season anxiety or are simply looking for a helping hand in filing your taxes ASAP, consumers should look to IRS free tax preparation resources to help prepare accurate returns and navigate new laws designed to reduce fraud.

Asbestos victims need protections and access to the courts! – National Consumers League

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SG_HEADSHOT.jpgLast week, I attended a forum with victims of medical malpractice and relatives of those exposed to asbestos who would not have gotten their day in court had the bills before the House been law. Susan Vento, the wife of the late Congressman Bruce Vento (D-MN), who died of mesothelioma, spoke against the bills. Mesothelioma is a fatal lung disease caused by exposure to asbestos. Bruce Vento, who served 24 years in the House, was exposed while working in an asbestos factory in his 20’s.  

Annually, 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma, many of them are veterans who have inhaled asbestos fibers while on the job. The Chamber is pushing, “Furthering Asbestos Claims Transparency (FACT) Act of 2017, requiring volumes of disclosure from victims who file asbestos claims, but none from the companies responsible for causing the health issues. Thus, the bill makes it considerably more difficult and time-consuming for mesothelioma patients to be compensated by negligent companies. That’s the point and the goal!

We will be fighting back on behalf of victims of asbestos this week and supporting a number of bills to keep the courts accessible to consumers and not give protections to companies who engage in illegal and immoral activities practices. We stand with consumers.

On Tuesday, March 7, NCL joined other consumers and legislators to celebrate the introduction of seven pro-consumer bills. The pro-consumer arbitration bills are: Arbitration Fairness Act, Court Legal Access and Student Support (CLASS) Act, Justice for Servicemembers Act, Justice for Victims of Fraud Act, Mandatory Arbitration Transparency Act, and the Restoring Statutory Rights and Interests of the States Act.

 

House ACA replacement plan would have a devastating impact on consumers – National Consumers League

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March 7, 2017

Contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—The following statement can be attributed to NCL’s Executive Director Sally Greenberg:

“The House Republicans’ Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal bill released last night would have a devastating impact on millions of consumers. The bill guts the ACA by repealing the cost-sharing subsidies that helped low-income people afford health insurance, ends the Medicaid expansion in 2020, and institutes Medicaid per-capita caps, which will inevitably lead to the rationing of care to our nation’s most vulnerable citizens. 

In addition, the bill would strip Planned Parenthood clinics of federal funding through Medicaid and other government programs for one year, preventing over 2.5 million people from accessing critical preventive care such as cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing, and other essential health services.

The Republican Congress’ attempt to rush the replacement bill to a vote without a CBO score or a single public hearing on the implications of the bill is indefensible. The National Consumers League joins with our colleagues in the advocacy community in demanding that the bill be subject to a transparent process – including public hearings – before such sweeping changes to the ACA and Medicaid are considered. The American people deserve to know how this proposed legislation will affect their health.” 

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

           

Statement of the National Consumers League supporting legislation to crack down on forced arbitration – National Consumers League

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March 6, 2017

Pro-consumer Senators and House Reps to introduce multiple consumer bills Tuesday 

Contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League is in full support of pro-consumer and worker legislation to ban mandatory forced arbitration.       

Top Senate and House Democrats will hold a press conference March 7 to introduce legislation to stop the use of unfair forced arbitration clauses, which are widely used by corporations to limit consumers’ and employees’ access to justice. NCL believes that these clauses give a green light to companies to commit illegal activities knowing they won’t be held accountable in a court of law.

Two prime examples are Wells Fargo Bank, which forced its customers to sign arbitration agreements only to open millions of fake accounts in the customers’ names and then shield themselves from liability through forced arbitration. Sterling Jewelers, the subject of a lengthy Washington Post story last week and a class action law suit, from the CEO on down, is alleged to have subjected thousands of women employees to unwanted sexual advances as a condition of employment and promotion, and created a hostile environment. All employees were forced to sign a mandatory arbitration agreement and cannot go to court to vindicate their claims. Sterling has thus shielded its outrageous corporate practices being heard in court. 

At tomorrow’s press conference, lawmakers will be joined by individuals who have been personally harmed by forced arbitration, including former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson. 

From nursing home contracts and employment agreements to credit card and cell phone contracts, Corporate America uses forced arbitration clauses to restrict Americans’ access to justice by stripping consumers and workers of their right to go to court. Instead, consumers and workers are forced into an arbitration system where corporations can write the rules; everything can be done in secret, without public rulings; discovery can be limited, making it hard for consumers to get the evidence they need to prove their case; and there’s no meaningful judicial review, so consumers and employees are often unable to appeal a decision even if the arbitrator gets it wrong. 

Senate and House Democrats will reintroduce and discuss legislation aimed at limiting forced arbitration in a wide variety contexts. The League applauds Senator Al Franken (D-MN), Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA), Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI), and Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA) for their leadership on these issues. 

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

 

The assault on consumer rights moves into high gear – National Consumers League

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SG_HEADSHOT.jpgThis past week, the National Consumers League (NCL) took its working capital out of Wells Fargo Bank and deposited it with the pro-consumer and pro-worker Bank of Labor. We did this for several reasons. One of the primary reasons is that Wells Fargo forced its staff to open more than 2 million phony bank accounts without their customers’ consent to generate fees and penalties. We moved the money to Bank of Labor because BOL does not have a provision – known as forced mandatory arbitration – in its contract with its customers who bank there. It is also union-owned and unionized. 

Forced arbitration clauses are intended to protect banks and other corporations from having to defend illegal practices in a court of law. Instead, customers are prevented from going to court; the corporation provides the private arbitration forum, controls the process, and there is no requirement that arbitrators follow the law and or provide a right of appeal. And for now, it’s legal because the current Supreme Court says it is.  That means that there is no formal record, no legal precedents are set and everything is done in the secrecy of a private arbitration. That is bad for consumers and bad for our legal system. 

Mandatory arbitration is part of a decades-long campaign waged by the Chamber of Commerce and corporate American against consumer rights. But now, with majorities in both Houses of Congress who are allies with the Chamber, and the White House in the hands of Donald Trump, the Chamber smells blood and is moving with alacrity to enact multiple anti-consumer bills. And they are skipping basic legislative procedures by forgoing hearings and moving simply to vote the bills out of committee en masse and to the House floor. 

The six bills are: H.R. 720, Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act of 2017; H.R. 725, the Innocent Party Protection Party Act of 2017; H.R. 732, the Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2017; H.R. 985, the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2017; H.R. 906, the Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency (FACT) Act of 2017; and H.R. 1215, the Protecting Access to Care Act of 2017. All of them curtail consumer rights and all of them should be strongly opposed by consumers. 

Consumer Fraud Alert: Tax prep scams expected to rise for remainder of tax season – National Consumers League

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March 1, 2017

For release: March 1, 2017

Contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—The nation’s pioneering consumer advocacy organization is  issuing a warning for consumers about the tax preparation scams that are expected to plague taxpayers as they enter the height of tax season. With only seven weeks left to go before the April 18 deadline, more than 70 percent of taxpayers will turn to software or tax preparers to help prepare their returns. 

In 2014, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration identified 2.1 million returns that claimed fraudulent refunds totaling more than $15.7 billion. In 2015 the Department of Justice shut down more than 35 fraudulent tax return preparers.

According to the National Consumers League (NCL), which operates Fraud.org, in a typical scam, an unscrupulous tax preparer may falsify a victim’s earnings, claim credits they did not earn, or even steal a consumer’s entire refund by having it deposited into a different account.

“To add insult to injury, getting caught up in a tax preparer scam will not just cheat you out of your refund and scam you into paying bogus fees,” said NCL’s John Breyault, NCL vice president, public policy, telecommunications and fraud. “It can also expose consumer victims to the liabilities including hefty fines and even imprisonment associated with the criminal offense of filing a fraudulent tax return.”

According to the consumer group, the vast majority of tax preparers are honest, but that doesn’t mean consumers can trust their taxes and personal information to just anyone. Tax experts advise that you give the same attention to selecting your tax preparer as you would to selecting a doctor. Here are some helpful hints to find a great provider you can trust:

  • Take advantage of free and trustworthy tax help. If you make less than $54,000 per year, you probably qualify for free in-person help through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Programs. These programs are staffed with IRS-certified volunteers who will help you file and get the refund you deserve. To find a local VITA click here.

  • File for free with IRS Free File. If you make less than $64,000 per year, you qualify for online help through the IRS’s Free File program. This program allows you to use free, name-brand tax filing software for your federal return. To get started, click here.

  • Ask around. If you don’t qualify for any of the free programs, ask your trusted friends and relatives who they go to for tax preparation and whether they would recommend their services.

NCL also offered red flags for consumers that they may be dealing with a fraudulent tax preparer:

  • The tax preparer fails to make available his or her Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN). In order to file taxes professionally, the IRS requires preparers to have a PTIN. You can check to see if your tax preparer has a PTIN and other credentials and qualifications by checking the IRS’s tax preparer directory.

  • The preparer asks the consumer to sign a blank tax return. If your tax preparer asks you to sign a blank tax return, he is probably trying to pull a fast one on you. A signed blank return enables a con artist to later fill in your tax forms with credits you did not earn.

  • The preparer doesn’t require W-2s. An unscrupulous tax preparer may say your last pay stub is sufficient, but that is not the case. A legitimate preparer will always need your W-2s to file a return.

At Fraud.org, NCL offers resources and advice for those who may have fallen victim to other forms of tax fraud. To read the alert and learn more about tax prep scams, click here.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.