NCL calls on Senate to support Consumer Credit Fairness Act – National Consumers League

/in /by

June 25, 2009

Nation’s pioneering consumer organization urges lawmakers to protect consumers from usurious interest rates

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, D.C. — The National Consumers League is pleased to support S.257, the Consumer Credit Fairness Act, which is scheduled to be considered today by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Act, introduced by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), would amend title 11of the United States Code “to disallow certain claims resulting from high cost credit debts.”

The following statement is attributable to Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League:

“Consumer protection in light of the current economic downturn is crucial for the stimulation and revitalization of our economy. By modifying the bankruptcy code, this legislation, S.257 — the Consumer Credit Fairness Act — would help provide relief for consumers paying for excessive high-interest loans and who are subsequently overwhelmed by mounting debt. Furthermore, the legislation would create disincentives to debt issuers to offer such predatory loans in the first place. In the interest of protecting consumers from usurious interest rates, we urge the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to approve this bill.”

###

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.

NCL supports confirmation of Inez Moore Tenenbaum as CPSC chair – National Consumers League

/in /by

June 16, 2009

Nation’s Pioneering Consumer Organization Urges Swift Confirmation to Speed Implementation of Consumer Protection Agenda

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, D.C.—The National Consumers League (NCL) applauds the hearing by the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation of Inez Moore Tenenbaum, former Superintendent of Schools for South Carolina, as Chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Having previously supported President Obama’s nomination, NCL calls for a swift confirmation of Tenenbaum.

The following statement can be attributed to Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League:

“Elected for two consecutive terms as Superintendent of South Carolina Public Schools and founder of the south Carolina Center for Family Policy — a non-profit organization advocating for reform in the state’s juvenile justice system — Tenenbaum’s experience attests to her commitment to child safety and health.”

“If confirmed, Tenenbaum’s extensive background in public policy will help her in implementing the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. We again welcome Tenenbaum to Washington and look forward to working with her and the Commission to restore its original mandate – protection consumer from hazardous products.”

###

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.

NCL supports confirmation of Genchowski, McDowell for FCC – National Consumers League

/in /by

June 16, 2009

NCL Statement of Support for Senate Confirmation of FCC Chair-Designate Julius Genchowski and Commissioner Robert McDowell

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, D.C.—The National Consumers League (NCL) applauds the confirmation hearings of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on the nominations of Julius Genachowski, as Chairman of and Robert McDowell, as Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). NCL calls on the Committee to swiftly confirm both Genachowski and McDowell.

The following can be attributed to Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League:

Julius Genachowski has demonstrated a dedication to the growth of innovative telecommunication services through his work both at the FCC under former Chairman Reed Hundt and in the private and non-profit sectors with IAC/InterActiveCorp.and Common Sense Media, among his other activities If confirmed, we look forward to working with him to ensure that consumer interests are well-represented as the FCC moves to implement its large and growing agenda.

In his three years with the FCC, Commissioner McDowell has shown a willingness to engage with the public interest community on a range of issues such as competition policy, spectrum reform, and broadband access. We look forward to continuing to work with the Commissioner, should he be reconfirmed.

###

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.

NCL calls for investigation of KeyBank – National Consumers League

/in /by

June 3, 2009

Citing excessive fees, predatory lending, outsourcing jobs to India and other anti-worker practices by TARP recipient

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, D.C. — The National Consumers League, in coalition with Consumer Action, National Association of Consumer Advocates and the Consumer Federation of California, have written a letter to the Treasury’s TARP Inspector General, Mr. Neil Barofsky, and to the TARP’s Congressional Oversight Panel, Chaired by Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren, calling for an investigation of KeyBank’s current business practices and implementation of a remedial process for harm done to consumers, workers and their communities.

In the letter, the groups told officials that KeyBank has a history of engaging in predatory student lending and exposing its customers to excessive fees, and that loans to the bank will serve to undermine the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

Since receiving TARP funds, KeyBank’s behavior towards customers persists as a recent complaint makes amply clear. One customer has written: “Opening an account with KeyBank has been a costly mistake. I have paid overcharge fees and drafts due to the bank’s mistakes! They charge fees for everything, and have no empathy for the customer. They should be ashamed of themselves considering the economy today.”

KeyBank stands out among banks, many of whom also charge excessive fees.

“The National Consumers League and our colleagues find the practices of KeyBank toward students, consumers and workers to be totally out of sync with what the government intended when it provided bailout funds.” said Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League. “We are distressed to learn that KeyBank is receiving taxpayer funded monies and believe that this is wrong.”

In addition to being involved in shady student loans and excessive customer fees, Key Bank has also engaged in anti-worker behavior, such as providing financing for a company engaged in extensive workers rights abuses, and outsourcing many of its information technology jobs to India. This acts against the interests of the very communities these funds are supposed to be helping.

“We implore the Federal authorities to review their decisions to provide funds to KeyBank, and ensure that the bank’s practices are consistent with the public interest,” said Ira Rheingold, Executive Director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates.

###

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.

NCL releases top 10 frauds of 2008 – National Consumers League

/in /by

June 2, 2009

With economy in shambles, group warns consumers are at increased risk of falling for scams

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) has released its annual ranking of the top telemarketing and Internet scams plaguing consumers in 2008, with Fake Check Scams, Internet Merchandise Scams, and Prizes/Sweepstakes/Free Gift Scams topping the list. NCL’s Fraud Center, which collects reports directly from consumers, tracks emerging scams and trends, and relays complaints to relevant law enforcement and consumer agencies in the United States and Canada, is reminding consumers today that, no matter how pinched they are feeling in the pocketbooks, they must keep a level head in this shaky economy.

2008 Top Overall Scams (read full report)

  1. Fake Check Scams
  1. Internet: Gen Merchandise
  1. Prizes/Sweepstakes/Free Gifts
  1. Phishing/Spoofing
  1. Nigerian Money Offers (not prizes)
  1. Internet: Auctions
  1. Advance Fee Loans, Credit Arrangers
  1. Lotteries/Lottery Ticket Buying Clubs
  1. Friendship & Sweetheart Swindles
  1. Magazines

“Consumers are losing money to scams by the billions, and in this economic environment, they really can’t afford the losses,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director, the nonprofit consumer group that has operated the national Fraud Center since 1992. “The consumer marketplace is challenging enough without the unscrupulous tactics of scam artists thrown into the mix. We’re issuing this reminder today to consumers to keep a level head about offers that seem to be ‘can’t lose’ or ‘no risk’ situations and be on their guard for fraud.”

New noteworthy trends among fraud complaints in 2008 include an increase in the use of the Internet (36.3 percent) and postal mail (25.5 percent) as the method of initial contact by scammers. The two methods replaced email (25.4 percent) which had been the most common method of contact in previous years. In telemarketing scams, fake check fraud continued to dominate, accounting for more than three-fifths (61.2 percent) of all telemarketing fraud complaints logged by consumers. Among scams perpetrated online, Internet merchandise-related complaints (in which consumers lose money on goods purchases at Internet Web sites other than online auctions) bumped fake check schemes from the number one spot on the Internet frauds list.

“Complaints to our Fraud Center tell a variety of stories about consumers being victimized by telemarketing and Internet scams, but there’s a common thread throughout,” said John Breyault, Director of NCL’s Fraud Center and Vice President for Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud. “The con artists making a living perpetrating these scams are, needless to say, good at what they do. Fraud can happen to anyone, of any age, at every level of education. No one is immune from scams. It’s more important than ever that fraud victims come forward to share their stories, help prevent other consumers from falling victim, and bring scammers to justice.”

The nonprofit NCL’s Fraud Center, unique among consumer organizations, was created in 1992 to combat the economic menace of telemarketing fraud, and in 1996, expanded its fraud-fighting efforts to include scams in cyberspace. The Fraud Center’s www.fraud.org. Web site is a consumer resource with information on the most common telemarketing and Internet scams. Consumers can report suspected fraud using the online complaint form. The Fraud Center transmits reports to the appropriate agencies among more than 190 law enforcement and consumer protection authorities in the U.S. and Canada that participate in the Fraud Center’s “early warning” system. These reports alert agencies to emerging scams and help put them in touch with victims, while providing the necessary ammunition to investigate and shut down fraudulent operations. To learn more about the top Internet and telemarketing frauds of 2008, visit www.fraud.org.

###

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.

NCL to teens: avoid these five worst summer jobs – National Consumers League

/in /by

May 29, 2009

One teen American worker dies from a workplace injury every ten days; advocacy group warns parents and teens to be smart this summer and protect themselves from workplace hazards

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

WASHINGTON, DC – With summer just around the corner, and many teens competing with out-of-work adults for summer employment, the National Consumers League has issued its annual report for 2009 on the Five Worst Teen Jobs, with work in agriculture again topping this year’s list for the third year running. Based on statistics from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a teen American worker dies from a workplace injury every ten days, and an estimated 158,000 youth sustain work-related injuries and illnesses each year.

The National Consumers League (NCL), which coordinates the Child Labor Coalition, has issued this year’s Five Worst Teen Jobs report to remind teens and parents that while it’s never too late to focus on safety when considering a summer job, it’s often difficult to see the hidden dangers in many jobs that are legal for teens to perform.

“Seeing the dangers in summer work isn’t always easy. Jobs like construction are obviously dangerous, but others like retail work can pose hidden dangers when teens are asked to work alone at night and may be vulnerable to robberies and assaults,” said Reid Maki, NCL’s Director for Social Responsibility and Coordinator of the Child Labor Coalition. “And at times, young workers performing seemingly safe jobs are asked to do very unsafe things, such as using trash compactors, something the law specifically prohibits them from doing because it is too dangerous. Choosing a summer job can be very difficult, even for those parents and teens who are mindful of safety concerns.”

In 2007—the last year for which there are complete records—an estimated 2.6 million adolescents aged 16 to 17 years worked in the United States, and that figure does not include the 400,000 children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers who work at ages younger than 16 because of loopholes in our child labor laws.

“Each year, the National Consumers League issues our Five Worst Teen Jobs report to remind teens and their parents to choose summer jobs wisely,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director and co-chair of the NCL-coordinated Child Labor Coalition. “Summer jobs can contribute a lot to a child’s development and maturity, and teach new skills and responsibilities, but the safety of each job must be a consideration. If you think employers, even good-intentioned ones, and federal child labor laws can protect our young workers from dangerous tasks, think again.”

NCL’s Five Worst Teen Jobs of 2009 (read full report)

  1. Agriculture: Harvesting Crops
  1. Construction and Height Work
  1. Driver/Operator: Forklifts, Tractors, and ATV’s
  1. Traveling Youth Sales Crews
  1. Outside Helper: Landscaping, Groundskeeping and Lawn Service

The Five Worst Jobs of 2009 report focuses on jobs that are legal for teens to perform despite placing young workers in potentially dangerous environments, according to NCL. Despite urging by advocates for Congress and the Department of Labor to prohibit the jobs known as the “most dangerous forms of child labor,” most of the activities on the list remain legally permitted work for teens, including work at heights, poultry catching and processing, driving tractors and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), operating chain saws (prohibited for only use on wood) and working on traveling youth crews that sell magazines or other products.

In this year’s report, NCL has also highlighted illegal work in meat packing plants as a “Bonus Worst Job” in addition to the legal worst five jobs. Although workers must be 18 years old to legally work in these plants, recent federal immigration raids have found children as young as age 15 working in meat packing. Reports that 50 teens may have been working in the Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa and the more than 9,000 child labor violations alleged against the plant by the State of Iowa have raised great alarm among child labor and child welfare advocates.

“Meat processing work, which involves repetitive use of very sharp knives, is extremely dangerous—for youth and adults. In a visit to Postville, Iowa last summer, we met a young worker who cut himself processing meat when he was only 16 years old,” said Maki. “The truth is that even laws that are meant to protect our young workers are not being obeyed, and teens are at great risk.”

NCL compiles the Five Worst Teen Jobs each year using government statistics and reports, including monitoring reports from state labor officials and news accounts of injuries and deaths. Statistics and examples of injuries for each job on the list are detailed in a report available here.

###

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.

NCL applauds FDA for warning General Mills for misbranding Cheerios – National Consumers League

/in /by

May 13, 2009

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC–In response to a letter of complaint sent by the National Consumers League (NCL) the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning letter to General Mills for the misbranding of its Cheerios cereal as a cholesterol-lowering product. In September of 2008, NCL’s Executive Director Sally Greenberg wrote to the FDA to complain about the “drug-like claims” on boxes of Cheerios cereal:

“General Mills on the front panel of its Cheerios® breakfast cereal label boldly entices consumers to “Join the Challenge and Lower Your Cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks.” The back panel similarly claims, “You Could Lower Your Cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks,” and directs consumers to “Sign Up Today at CheeriosChallenge.com” General Mills’ claim promises consumers a health benefit (i.e., lowered blood cholesterol levels) merely by consuming Cheerios® breakfast cereal without accompanying changes in diet or lifestyle. NCL understands that such “magic bullet” health claims are impermissible under the laws that your agency enforces and properly are reserved to cholesterol-lowering medications . . .”

The League, founded in 1899 as America’s oldest consumer group, has frequently filed complaints with the FDA on misleading claims, specifically, on manufacturers’ use of the words “healthy” and “natural” on food products and dietary supplements. NCL has also called attention to a manufacturers’ misuse of “low fat” and “fresh.”

The FDA’s warning letter to General Mills contains two significant findings, first informing Chairman and CEO of General Mills, Ken Powell, that “Your Cheerios ® product is misbranded . . . because it bears unauthorized health claims in its labeling.” Secondly, the FDA’s letter finds that “. . . your Cheerios® Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease.” As a result, FDA has informed Mr. Powell that Cheerios is therefore considered a drug and subject to drug regulation by the federal agency.

“We applaud the FDA for taking tough regulatory action in response to NCL’s letter last fall, highlighting the impermissible claims General Mills is making about Cheerios. Consumers deserve accurate information and truth in labeling in the products their families purchase and consume. General Mills should know better than to market its cereals with these false claims,” Greenberg said.

FDA’s letter instructs General Mills to correct its violations and to inform the regulatory agency what steps are being taken within 15 days of receiving the warning. For copies of the NCL letter and the FDA’s response, visit www.nclnet.org.

###

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.

NCL applauds Obama nominations for CPSC – National Consumers League

/in /by

May 6, 2009

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League applauds President Barack Obama’s nominations of Inez Tenenbaum, attorney and former Superintendent of Schools for the state South Carolina, as Chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Professor Robert Adler, who worked as counsel to former CPSC Commissioner R. David Pittle, as Commissioner. Adler also served as a member of the Consumers Union board of directors.

The following statement may be attributed to Sally Greenberg, National Consumers League Executive Director:

Inez Tenenbaum has shown, through her work as South Carolina’s Superintendent of Schools, that children’s health and safety are a high priority. As superintendent, she worked to fight obesity and to promote nutritional programs in the schools; as Superintendent, she has also had the kind of management experience that will be needed to run the CPSC.

If she is confirmed, Tenenbaum’s previous experience will serve her well in her new role as head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a federal agency that regulates the safety of over 15,000 products, including many products for children. We will welcome Tenenbaum to Washington and look forward to working with her in her new role as CPSC Chairman.

About Robert Adler, Greenberg also noted:

I’ve known and worked with Bob Adler on product safety issues for more than a decade. He is a highly qualified nominee who has a depth of knowledge about the CPSC and its authorizing statute, and he will be a strong champion for consumer health and safety. Both of these nominees will help to restore the CPSC to the agency Congress originally intended it to be: an independent federal safety agency that effectively protects consumers, and especially children, from product safety hazards.

The National Consumers League also commends the President for pressing for full funding of the Commission and his stated intent to restore the agency to its full complement of five commissioners.

###

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.

Wisconsin takes 2009 national LifeSmarts title – National Consumers League

/in /by

April 29, 2009

Winners take home fabulous prizes, will be honored in local parade

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC—The student team from Wisconsin’s Oconto High School was crowned national LifeSmarts champions in St. Louis, Missouri on Tuesday. In a tough final match against the second-place team from Washington State’s Kittitas High School, the Wisconsin teens outscored their opponents and did it with great sportsmanship. Teams from New Hampshire and Oklahoma placed third.

“We are so proud of these students from Wisconsin, who represented their state program with class and pride,” said LifeSmarts Program Director Lisa Hertzberg. “They played hard and demonstrated their consumer smarts throughout the four-day event. They are true LifeSmarts champions.”

LifeSmarts is a program run by the Washington, DC-based National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s oldest consumer advocate. It competitively tests high school students’ knowledge of consumer awareness, with subjects including personal finance, health and safety, consumer rights and responsibility, technology, and the environment.

“NCL’s LifeSmarts program is allowing us to rear a generation of consumer-savvy teenagers who often outsmart their parents on issues related to avoiding fraud, credit and debt, and complicated health care decisions,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg. In the 15 years that LifeSmarts has been educating high school and middle school teens on consumer issues, it has grown dramatically. The program’s latest partnership will bring the program to Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America youth and advisers.

Thirty state LifeSmarts champions gathered in St. Louis, where the best of more than 22,000 teens who competed in the 2008-2009 LifeSmarts program nationwide vied for a chance at the 2009 national title. Across the country, players answered more than 3 million consumer questions at www.lifesmarts.org in the online competition during the 2008-2009 academic year.

At the awards ceremony, Wisconsin’s coach Tammie McCarthy thanked NCL, praised her team’s hard-work, honored her team members, and described how good it felt to finally hold the championship trophy in her hands. McCarthy is a veteran LifeSmarts coach who has represented Wisconsin with Oconto High School teams four times. The students will be honored with a pep assembly upon their return, “Congratulations” signs around town, and an appearance in Oconto’s summer parade.

For team photos, event schedules, grid standings, and more, log on to www.lifesmarts.org.

All winners at the national LifeSmarts Competition received valuable prizes donated by sponsors to the National Consumers League, including scholarships, savings bonds, gift cards, and more. To learn more about the program, contact NCL’s Lisa Hertzberg at 202-835-3323. For a complete listing of this year’s prizes, visit www.lifesmarts.org.

###

About LifeSmarts and the National Consumers League

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit: www.lifesmarts.org, email lifesmarts@nclnet.org, or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323. 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.

Consumer, nutrition groups urge Obama, Congress to update alcohol policies for the 21st Century – National Consumers League

/in /by

April 23, 2009

Organizations issue four-step plan calling for mandatory alcohol labeling and more resources to combat underage drinking

Contact: 202-835-3323, media@nclnet.org

Washington, DC — A coalition of public interest groups today called on Congress and the Obama Administration to overturn decades of inattention to the nation’s alcohol policies by finally issuing a useful final regulation to require standardized labeling information on beer, wine and distilled spirits products and providing the government resources needed to address such pressing problems as underage drinking, binge drinking, and drunk driving.

Using the observance of National Alcohol Awareness Month to rally attention, four leading nutrition and consumer advocacy organizations — Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumer Federation of America, the National Consumers League, and Shape Up America! — released a new action plan, Alcohol Policy for the 21st Century: A Platform to Give Americans the Facts to Drink Responsibly, intended to bring the nation’s policies into the 21st century. Issued as a nationwide call to action, the platform urges the new Administration and Congress to make meaningful changes both in how information about the content of alcoholic beverages is communicated to the public and how the nation mobilizes to reduce underage drinking.

Specifically, the platform urges swift action on four regulatory and legislative measures:

  1. Gaining swift action by the Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to issue a final regulation that requires complete and easy-to-read labeling information on all beer, wine and distilled spirits products. To provide the information needed for consumers to make informed purchasing and consumption decisions, the advocates continue to press for a standardized “Alcohol Facts” panel that lists the alcohol content, the amount of alcohol per serving, the definition of a standard drink, the number of calories and facts about other ingredients.
  1. Enlisting the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make increased access to alcohol content information a new national health objective when HHS issues Healthy People 2020, the updated ten-year health goals, in early 2010.
  1. Including detailed advice on responsible alcohol consumption levels for the public when HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) release the revised Dietary Guidelines for Americans in 2010, with a specific focus on what constitutes a “standard drink” and the calorie content of “non-standard” mixed alcoholic drinks now gaining in popularity.
  1. Gaining Congressional passage of the “Support 21 Act of 2009,” which will expand the nation’s underage drinking prevention efforts by allocating an additional $35.5 million to federal and state programs.

Among these actions, the top priority for the public health community is for TTB to move quickly to issue a consumer friendly final alcohol labeling regulation. This step would end the stalemate in modernizing beverage alcohol labels that traces back to 1972, when consumer organizations first asked the federal government to require meaningful alcohol labeling. In 2003, the National Consumers League, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumer Federation of America and 75 other public health and consumer organizations submitted a formal petition to TTB resulting in the agency issuing an “advanced notice of proposed rulemaking” in April 2005. Then, in 2007, TTB proposed a mandatory “Serving Facts” panel on beer, wine and distilled spirits that left out alcohol content and the amount of alcohol in a serving and was widely attacked by consumer groups and the public health community for being incomplete.

“There is no debate within the public health and consumer community about the need for mandatory and complete alcohol labeling,” said Chris Waldrop, Director of the Food Policy Institute at the Consumer Federation of America. “It’s time to give consumers the same helpful and easily accessible labeling information that is now required for conventional foods, dietary supplements, and nonprescription drugs.”

Although TTB’s 2007 actions were roundly criticized, the advocacy groups believe the record in the current rulemaking is sufficient for the agency to act now to issue a final alcohol labeling regulation in 2009. The advocates also urge TTB to consult with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the most effective format and graphic design for the “Alcohol Facts” label.

George Hacker, Director of CSPI’s Alcohol Policies Project, said: “TTB has had a comprehensive response to its haphazard rulemaking to develop labels that will be helpful to consumers in measuring and moderating their alcohol consumption. The agency should accept the guidance it has received and find the political will to act.”

From a public health perspective, the advocacy organizations also urge HHS and USDA to provide detailed information on what constitutes a “standard drink” and the calorie content of popular “non-standard” mixed alcoholic drinks when the departments issue the updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans in 2010. The reason, according to the advocates, is insufficient information in the marketplace for consumers to know what constitutes a “standard drink” — 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof (40%) distilled spirits — and to understand that standard serving sizes of beer, wine and spirits are equal in alcohol strength and their effect on the body. As a result, research finds nearly 20 percent of current drinkers regularly consume more than the up to two standard drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women that the Dietary Guidelines defines a moderate drinking.

“Those consumers who choose to drink absolutely need alcohol and calorie information per serving to help them comply with recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines,” said Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League. “Without it, alcohol consumers continue to be left in the dark.”

The alcohol platform encourages HHS to add specific objectives to the upcoming Healthy People 2020 national health goals that reflect the current scientific knowledge about the calorie content of alcoholic beverages. Because alcohol is metabolized quite differently from these other macronutrients and provides 7 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram for carbohydrates, increased access to alcohol content information through nutrition counseling and government education initiatives is needed both to combat the obesity epidemic and to reduce alcohol-related mortality resulting from hypertension, liver disease and certain cancers, as well as injury.

“To encourage weight management and reduce the health risks associated with alcohol requires that the 55 percent of adult Americans who drink have the information they need to make responsible decisions,” said Barbara J. Moore, Ph.D., president of Shape Up America!, “Anything less is a setback for public health.”

Addressing the pervasive problem of underage drinking, the platform calls on Congress to pass H.R. 1028 — the “Support 21 Act of 2009” — which allocates an additional $35.5 million to federal and state efforts to reduce underage drinking. Recognizing that lowering the drinking age is not the answer, the bill focuses on delaying alcohol use through education and a stronger focus within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on disseminating research on effective strategies to reduce underage drinking. The bill also calls for a National Academies of Science report on available research regarding the impact of alcohol on adolescent brain development and the public policy implications of that research.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), underage drinkers are responsible for 11 percent of all the beverage alcohol consumed in the U.S. and on average, consume more drinks per occasion than adults. Moreover, new research on brain development shows that adolescent brains are not fully developed before age 21, and alcohol abuse damages this development process.

###

About the Center for Science in the Public Interest

Since 1971, the Center for Science in the Public Interest has been a strong advocate for nutrition and health, food safety, alcohol policy, and sound science. Founded by executive director Michael Jacobson, Ph.D. and two other scientists, CSPI has long sought to educate the public, advocate government policies that are consistent with scientific evidence on health and environmental issues, and counter industry’s powerful influence on public opinion and public policies.

About the Consumer Federation of America

Consumer Federation of America is a non-profit association of some 300 organizations, with a combined membership of over 50 million Americans. Since its founding in 1968, CFA has worked to advance the interest of American consumers through research, education and advocacy. CFA’s Food Policy Institute was created in 1999 and engages in research, education and advocacy on food and agricultural policy, agricultural biotechnology, food safety and nutrition.

About the National Consumers League

Founded in 1899, the National Consumers League is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

About Shape Up America!

Shape Up America! was founded in 1994 by former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop to raise awareness of the health effects of obesity and to provide responsible information on weight management to the public and to health care professionals. The organization maintains an award winning website – www.shapeup.org – accessed by more than 100,000 visitors each month and an “opt-in” e-newsletter with more than 24,000 subscribers.