NCL calls out American Crystal Sugar Company for inconsistencies regarding worker welfare – National Consumers League

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June 6, 2012

Contact: NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC–The National Consumers League, the oldest consumer advocacy organization in the country, sent a letter to the American Crystal Sugar Company today expressing disappointment with the company’s prolonged lockout of 1,300 union employees.

“We are perplexed at the continued actions of the American Crystal Sugar Company,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL’s Executive Director. The sugar industry supports industry-wide price supports and other subsides that they claim help create and maintain American jobs. This program costs American consumers an estimated $3.5 billion each year. NCL pointed out the inconsistencies in American Crystal’s position. “They profess their commitment to creating American jobs while at the same time locking out workers, all the while enjoying the largesse of consumer funded sugar subsidies.”

“Sugar growers have long justified the continued existence of the U.S. sugar program by pointing to their role as job creators,” said Greenberg. “We find this argument specious in light of American Crystal’s prolonged lockout of over 1,300 workers.” For nine months, since August 2011, the American Crystal Sugar Company, a sugar-beet processing company headquartered in Moorhead, Minnesota, has locked out union employees from their jobs.

“American Crystal should illustrate its commitment to creating and maintaining American jobs by engaging in good faith negotiations with its workers,” said Greenberg. “It is also time for the American government to stop subsidizing a profitable industry that treats American workers so poorly.”

Read Greenberg’s letter 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.

America the outlier – National Consumers League

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By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director

I recently spoke – alongside other national consumer organizations – to the consumer specialists in the state attorneys general offices. These are the folks who are hugely important in representing the interests of consumers in the 50 states, fighting scams and going after consumer fraud.

At this session, I listed the consumer victories we’ve won during the Obama administration and before that under President Bush (top-to-bottom reforms of the Consumer Product Safety Act and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). But for me, the most incredible consumer victory is the landmark passage of a national healthcare bill for American citizens, the law known as the Affordable Care Act. All the while I was aware that a number of state Attorneys General office represented in that room, in spite of their advocacy on behalf of consumers, are behind lawsuits to overturn the ACA. Why would state AG’s want to fight against the first bill ever to guarantee healthcare coverage to most consumers? This seems contrary to their role as defenders and advocates for consumers. In addition, surely the richest country in the world can afford to provide healthcare to our citizens.

Which put me in mind of an article I read recently. Fifteen percent of Americans have no healthcare coverage. But many far less affluent countries are moving to provide medical insurance coverage for all. China, for example, is on track to provide healthcare to 90 percent of its residents and its population dwarfs ours by almost 4 to 1. (According to the World Bank, China has 1 billion 300 million people.) Mexico has just completed an 8-year drive for universal coverage that has dramatically expanded Mexicans’ access to life saving treatments for diseases like leukemia and breast cancer.

Thailand’s GNP is 1/5 of the US, and 99 percent of Thais have health insurance. Rwanda and Ghana – two of the world’s poorest nations – are working to create insurance networks to cover their citizens. Countries are coming to the conclusion that for their long-term economic viability, universal healthcare is critical. They believe that remaining competitive globally and sustaining economic growth will depend on universal healthcare for citizens.

How does that work? Well, for example, the Chinese government found that citizens were saving excessively to cover healthcare costs and weren’t spending much-needed money to stimulate the economy. In Mexico, poor families who had to pull a child from school because of health would have to spend scarce assets – livestock or equipment — to cover healthcare costs. That reduced the viability of their operations. Mexico also found its citizens were being driven into bankruptcy because of healthcare costs. The same is true for the United States! at one point half those facing bankruptcy from credit card debt incurred that debt paying for unexpected healthcare costs. According to the experts, providing universal healthcare coverage is preventing millions of people worldwide from financial ruin.

So it really does makes you wonder why state AGs are fighting this basic protection and why the U.S. population is deadlocked over the issue. In March, a Kaiser poll showed that 41 percent of Americans support the ACA, while 40 percent oppose. A former World Bank Vice President, David de Ferranti, said about the United States: “We are really an outlier.” When you factor in what other far less affluent nations are providing near universal healthcare for their citizens, de Ferranti’s comments seem like an understatement. We can only hope that the ACA survives the challenge in the Supreme Court. If it does not, and the individual mandate is struck, we should go back to the drawing table and provide single payer insurance system for all citizens.

Sweet victory for advocates: ‘Corn Sugar’ rejected by FDA – National Consumers League

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Consumer advocates are claiming a victory today, as the Food and Drug Administration has rejected a bid by the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) to change the name of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) to “corn sugar.”

“This is an important victory as it upholds the principle of ‘truth in labeling’ for consumers,” said Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League. “We applaud the FDA for acting as the ‘cop on the beat’ to ensure consumers aren’t misled by changing the name of High Fructose Corn Syrup to something it is not.”

Consumer groups signed a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg in April asking that the agency reject the anti-consumer name change.

The consumer letter called on the agency to “promptly deny” the CRA petition for the name change and noted that the FDA had received “nearly 5,000 comments submitted to the agency opposing the name change on a ratio of 100:1.” The groups urged the agency to act quickly because “FDA’s failure to promptly deny the CRA petition allows the trade association to continue to run deceptive marketing campaigns calling HFCS ‘corn sugar’ and confuses consumers who wish to avoid the ingredient.”

Sweet victory for consumer advocates: FDA denies Corn Refiners’ petition for High Fructose Corn Syrup name change – National Consumers League

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June 1, 2012

Contact: Carol McKay, NCL Communications, (412) 945-3242, carolm@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—Consumer advocacy organizations today welcomed the decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reject a bid by the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) to change the name of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) to “corn sugar.”

“This is an important victory as it upholds the principle of ‘truth in labeling’ for consumers,” said Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League (NCL). “We applaud the FDA for acting as the ‘cop on the beat’ to ensure consumers aren’t misled by changing the name of High Fructose Corn Syrup to something it is not.”

The groups—NCL, Consumers Union (CU), Consumer Federation of America (CFA), and Shape Up America! (SUA)—signed a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg in April of this year asking that the agency reject the CRA’s proposed name change.

The consumer letter called on the agency to “promptly deny” the CRA petition to change the name of HFCS and noted that the FDA had received nearly 5,000 comments submitted from the general public opposing the name change, at a ratio of 100:1  and urged the agency to act quickly because “FDA’s failure to promptly deny the CRA petition allows the trade association to continue to run deceptive marketing campaigns calling HFCS ‘corn sugar’ and confuses consumers who wish to avoid the ingredient.”

FDA rejected the CRA petition in a letter to the trade association made public yesterday stating that “we conclude that your petition does not provide sufficient grounds for the agency to authorize ‘corn sugar’ as an alternate common or usual name for HFCS.”

The FDA letter further stated, “The use of the term ‘sugar’ to describe HFCS, a product that is a syrup, would not accurately identify or describe the basic nature of the food or its characterizing properties. As such, using the term ’sugar’ would not be consistent with the general principles governing common or usual names.”

CRA’s petition, filed in 2010, asked the FDA to do several things, including amend the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status of HFCS to designate “corn sugar” as an alternate name for the product.

“We agree with the agency’s assessment that changing the name of HFCS to ‘corn sugar’ would not accurately reflect the product’s composition and would mislead consumers,” said Urvashi Rangan, Director of Consumer Safety and Sustainability at Consumers Union. “Traditional sugar and HFCS are distinct and very different products.”

“Thousands of consumers wrote to the FDA urging the agency to deny the petition,” said Chris Waldrop, Director of the Food Policy Institute at Consumer Federation of America. “FDA’s decision preserves information on the ingredient label that consumers want to know.”

“Honest labeling is an essential part of reducing diet-related illnesses and diseases,” added Barbara J. Moore, President and CEO of Shape Up America! “We congratulate FDA for making a decision that serves to protect consumers.”

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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.

True cost of healthy eating – National Consumers League

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By Teresa Green, Linda Golodner Food Safety & Nutrition Fellow

The Economic Research Service (ERS) has recently released a study entitled “Are Healthy Foods Really More Expensive? It Depends on How You Measure the Price.”  This study dispels a common myth: the myth that it is in fact more expensive to buy healthy foods than it is to buy junk food.

The authors of the study looked at price in several ways.

  • Price per calorie
  • Price by weight
  • Price by serving

Previous studies have shown that when price is measured the first way, that is by how much you pay for each calorie, healthy foods like fruits and vegetables are more expensive that foods like cookies and chips. However, this new study by ERS shows that when price is measured by weight and serving size, healthier foods are actually more affordable.

And really, price per calorie is a misleading way to think about this. Who, after all, can easily consume 500 calories of broccoli? It is much easier to eat 500 calories worth of sweets or salty snack foods. Unhealthy foods have more calories per serving than do food like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Looking at average serving size, while still not perfect, presents a clearer picture of cost than does cost per calorie.

The major takeaway from this story is that it is possible to eat healthy foods and not break the bank. Even those with lower incomes can feed their families in accordance with MyPlate recommendations in a cost-effective way. The real problem is that, according to a new study done by the International Food Information Council, 52 percent of Americans think “figuring out what you should and shouldn’t eat to be healthier” is more difficult than doing their taxes.

Right now many people don’t know what to eat to be healthy and even if they do know, they don’t think these options are affordable. Education about healthy foods is the place to start if we want to conquer the growing obesity epidemic.

NCL files formal complaints with USDA about modernization act: bad news for consumers and workers – National Consumers League

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May 29, 2012

Contact: NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—Today the National Consumers League (NCL), whose mission is to promote the interests of both workers and consumers, filed formal comments with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding the agency’s proposed rule “Modernization of Poultry Slaughter Inspection.”

In its comments, NCL expressed serious concerns over the proposed changes. Today, USDA officials inspect each bird that is slaughtered, checking for visible defects that could indicate food safety concerns. The agency’s proposed rules would alter this system, privatizing some functions and increasing line speeds to up to 175 birds per minute.

“We are concerned about several aspects of this proposal,” said Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of NCL. “First, that faster line speeds will result in decreased safety, for both food safety and worker safety.” One major concern is that the proposed rule does not mandate any training for plant employees. “While the agency has indicated it will issue guidance on training, the lack of standards for training could well result in uneven implementation and inconsistent levels of safety,” said Greenberg.

“With line speeds approaching an astonishing 200 birds per minute, we are also concerned about the safety of men and women working on the line, slaughtering and inspecting these birds,” Greenberg added. “Already at current line speeds, close to sixty percent of workers suffer from carpel tunnel syndrome. Increased line speeds will undoubtedly lead to even higher rates of injuries.”

“Because of our strong reservations over both the worker and food safety implications of this proposed rule, we urge the agency to withdraw the proposed rule,” said Greenberg. The National Consumers League joins other consumer groups, several unions and the National Council of La Raza in opposing the proposed rule and asking that it be withdrawn.

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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.

Happy anniversary, Script Your Future! – National Consumers League

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Poor medication adherence is a $290 billion problem annually, with three out of four Americans reporting that they do not always take their medication as directed, and causing more than one-third of medicine-related hospitalizations and nearly 125,000 deaths in the United States each year.

This month, NCL, the United States Surgeon General, and health care allies are celebrating the first anniversary of the national medication adherence campaign, Script Your Future, launched in May of 2011. The Script Your Future campaign addresses the need for tools and resources to support improved medication adherence across the country and to open dialogue between health care professionals and patients about the health consequences of non-adherence.

To date, through its dynamic Web site, public service announcements, materials distributed directly to consumers and health care providers across the country, social media communities, text message alert services, local field organizers on the ground in six regional target markets, and its Student Pharmacist Challenge, the Script Your Future campaign has seen more than 300 million media impression and interfaced directly with tens of thousands of health care professionals and patients, many of whom have taken the pledge to take their medicines as directed at www.ScriptYourFuture.org.

If you haven’t already taken the pledge, there’s never been a better time! Celebrate the first anniversary of Script Your Future by taking a moment with a loved one to pledge to take your medicines and do your part to improve your personal – and our nation’s – health!

Pop on the decline – National Consumers League

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By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director

It’s hard to know whether there’s good news about American eating habits –actually, make that drinking habits, and not the alcoholic kind. It seems that consumption of sugary sodas – what I grew up calling “pop,” is on the downswing. A New York Times article featured one school in South Dakota that has banned sugary soft drinks entirely.

Americans now drink under two sodas a day, a drop in per capita consumption of about 16 percent since its high in 1998. Apparently a slow decline has accelerated in recent years because of health concerns and the variety of non-fizzy alternatives. As a result, the big soft drink makers – Coke and Pepsi – are busy at the food labs looking for alternatives, including several new versions of sodas that have half or less than the usual amount of sugar.

This decline in soda consumption ought to be good news, because soft drinks are the number one source of calories in the diets of Americans – more than cake, cookies, or pizza. And convenience stores and fast food outlets have huge cups – like “The Big Gulp” that encourage consumers to ingest hundreds of calories  in one sitting.

Experts are warning that 42 percent of Americans will be obese by 2030, rising from 36 percent today.

But nutrition gurus like our colleague Margo Wootan at Center for Science in the Public Interest are worried that soda will be replaced by high-sugar sports drinks and energy drinks, which offer their own problems. My teenage son has been warned by his dentist to stop drinking Gatorade, for example, because the combination of high acid on the tooth enamel and sugar is a nightmare on the teeth.

My cynical side believes that, despite the encouraging trends on reduced soda consumption, beverage makers will find ways to entice Americans to drink equally caloric or high sodium or high sugar and high sodium drinks. I hope I’m wrong and that the American love affair with empty calories in what I used to call “pop” is truly waning.

Ticketing gift guide for dads and grads – National Consumers League

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Tickets are a popular gift as Father’s Day, graduations, and summer concert series fill the calendar. However, many consumers may be unaware that restrictions – and scams – could make giving tickets as gifts a big headache. To help prepare consumers, NCL and the Fan Freedom Project have teamed up to warn consumers about the most common online ticket-buying risks.

“Too often consumers meet with unpleasant surprises – from scams to restrictions – when they try to buy or give away event tickets. The last thing we want to happen is someone buying a thoughtful present for Father’s Day or a new grad only to find out they ended up with fraudulent tickets, or tickets that can’t be given as gifts, such as non-transferable paperless tickets,” said John Breyault, Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud at NCL.

Tips for buying tickets as gifts
Use reliable sellers: Beware of fly-by-night ticket sellers. If you’re unsure whether a company is legitimate, check its ratings with the Better Business Bureau. If purchasing from a ticket broker, check to see if they are members of the National Association of Ticket Brokers, whose Code of Ethics requires members to adhere to basic consumer protections

Check your ticket vendor’s guarantee policy: For example, Web sites like Stub Hub, TicketsNow, Ace Tickets and All-Shows guarantee every ticket sold on their sites and will replace them or provide refunds to consumers if they receive the wrong tickets, their tickets are invalid or an event is cancelled. Craigslist and other online classifieds sites do not offer such guarantees; it’s “buyer beware” when shopping there.

Pay attention to URLs: When buying tickets directly from a venue, check the Web site’s URL to ensure that you don’t get duped by an imposter. For example, a Bruce Springsteen fan was recently tricked by a Web site he thought was for the Times Union Center in Albany, but was actually a resale site. Remember, even if a Web site looks like the official site, it may be bogus.

Read the fine print: Just because you bought a ticket doesn’t mean you can give it away. Some concerts and sporting events sell restricted paperless tickets, requiring the buyer to show up at the venue and present the purchasing credit card and photo ID. With such tickets, the buyer does not receive a physical ticket and cannot easily transfer these tickets. When buying paperless tickets as a gift, Ticketmaster recommends that you pay with the recipient’s credit card and reimburse them.For a list of artists and sports teams that use restricted tickets, visit Fan Freedom Project’s FAQ

Know the rules: Some venues limit the number of tickets you can buy. A Radiohead fan recently reported purchasing a block of tickets to share with friends. When she ordered more tickets as a wedding gift, the venue threatened to cancel both orders because she was over the four-ticket max. Some events may also require the ticket purchaser to attend the show to pick up their tickets at the “will call” window. If you purchase tickets for such shows but don’t plan to attend, the gift recipient could be denied admittance to the event.

Buy with a credit card: Regardless of where you buy tickets, be sure to use a credit card so you can dispute any unfair or unauthorized charges. Before entering your credit card information online, be sure the site has “https://” at the beginning of the Web site address. This means the site is encrypted and safer for use.

Be prepared to pay additional fees: Unlike airline tickets, which are now required by law to disclose all taxes and additional fees upfront, the ticket price listed at the start of the purchasing process will likely not be your final price.

Watch out for scholarship scams – National Consumers League

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92_graduates.jpgGraduation season means optimism about a bright future ahead. Unfortunately, scam artist know how stressful paying for college can be and they’ve tailored a fraud to separate eager students and their families from their money: scholarship scams. As millions of college graduates don their caps and gowns this spring, advocates are warning them of the signs of too-good-to-be-true aid offers.Congratulations, graduates! Prospective college students often look to scholarships as a way to lessen the financial burden on parents and to avoid taking out student loans. Unfortunately, scam artist know how stressful paying for college can be and they’ve tailored a fraud to separate eager students and their families from their money – scholarship scams.

Scholarship scams prey on consumers’ eagerness to find ways to pay for higher education. They come in a variety of guises, but a common thread is that usually there is need for the victim to pay money or provide a credit or debit card number up front before a supposed scholarship or grant is awarded. A good rule of thumb is that if you have to pay money to get money, it’s probably a scam.

Other red flags when it comes to scholarship scams are offers that promise “guaranteed” scholarships or pressure to act quickly in order to secure money. Consumers should also be wary of services that offer to match grant seekers with scholarships (sometimes known as financial aid advice services), especially if they offer to apply for you or require a big fee. Some scholarship scams ask you to pay money for information you can get for free, such as the federal FAFSA form. There are any number of free sources of financial aid information, including school counselors, state education agencies, the U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Student Aid Information Center. Be careful, too, when you receive unsolicited offers to help with financial aid from people or organizations you’ve never heard of or can’t find reliable information about.

Resources

For more information about scholarship scams and other resources you can use, visit StudentAid.Ed.gov, the U.S. Department of Education’s site for free information on preparing for and funding education beyond high school. You can complete the FAFSA here, and learn about other FAFSA filing options here. You also can call 1-800-4-FED-AID.

If you think you’ve been scammed, file a report via: