October 7, 2015

Contact: Cindy Hoang, National Consumers League, cindyh@nclnet.org or (202) 207-2832 or Alex Colcord, Shape Up America!, alex.colcord@gmail.com, 406 686-4844

Washington DC—The National Consumers League and Shape Up America! today applauded the appearance in the market of alcoholic beverage packaging with Serving Facts labels. Diageo, the maker of Crown Royal whiskey, has announced that their packaging now features a Serving Facts label like the ones the two organizations have advocated for more than 10 years.

“The National Consumers League and many allied organizations have waited a long time for this day,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg. “I applaud Diageo for its willingness to place in consumers’ hands the serving facts information they want and need—right on the package. Now is the time for all manufacturers of beer, wine, and spirits to follow this lead by providing consumers with easy access to the information they need to help them to drink responsibly.”

“Serving Facts labeling is an important tool for consumers looking to make informed decisions about drinking,” added Dr. Barbara Moore, President and CEO of Shape Up America! “Complete serving information is especially important today, when so many adults are either overweight or obese. As the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee highlighted earlier this year, 21% of calories from beverages in the average diet come from alcoholic beverages (DGAC Scientific Report, Part D, Chapter 1, p. 47). For the sake of good health, for weight management and for the sake of safe driving, consumers need this information to make the responsible choice the easy choice.”

Alcoholic beverages are one of the very few consumer goods for which nutrition or serving facts are not required. The National Consumers League, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and more than 70 other organizations petitioned for such labeling on beer, wine, and distilled spirits products in 2003. The petition called for the Serving Facts labels to include alcohol per serving and servings per container, as well as calories, carbs, protein, and fat per serving. After a protracted regulatory process, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau issued a rule in 2013 that allowed (but did not require) Serving Facts labels for alcoholic beverages. The new Crown Royal Serving Facts label is a result of that lengthy campaign.

“Both of our organizations are engaged in helping educate the public about responsible decision-making about what they eat and drink,” said Greenberg and Moore. “This is an important step forward in providing vital information to 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.

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.

September 25, 2015

The Honorable Edith Ramirez
Chairwoman
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20580 

Re: FTC’s Action against Vemma and the Ongoing Investigation into Herbalife Ltd. 

Dear Madam Chairwoman:

Since 1899, the National Consumers League – of which I am Executive Director — has fought to protect and champion the importance of a safe marketplace for American consumers. More than a century later, NCL’s focus on and commitment to protecting consumers is unwavering. It is for this reason that we were pleased to see the Commission put a stop to Vemma’s deceptive business practices.[1] 

While some companies in the multi-level marketing (MLM) sector take clear steps to ensure that consumers fully understand their chances of success and truly focus efforts on retail sales, there remain many others that do not. As your actions against Vemma made clear, MLMs that deceive recruits with promises of easy riches with minimal risk can and will run afoul of the FTC’s enforcement authority.

The Commission’s actions to halt Vemma’s operations come more than eighteen months after the Commission opened its investigation of similar allegations against another multi-level marketing company – Herbalife, Ltd. We note that some of the very practices the FTC found problematic in the Vemma case are alleged to be occurring at Herbalife.

We would, therefore, greatly appreciate an update as to status of the Herbalife investigation so that we can be assured that it is moving forward and does not continue indefinitely with no resolution. As it stands today, consumers who have invested or may be considering investing in the Herbalife business opportunity have been left in limbo – not knowing whether the Commission considers the company to be a legitimate MLM or a fraudulent pyramid scheme. We believe that consumers have a right to expect speedy action by government law enforcement agencies when their financial well-being is at stake. 

I would welcome the opportunity to further discuss with your staff our concerns about MLM abuses  and approaches that the Commission could take going forward to further protect consumers, should that be helpful to you.

Thank you for your time and attention to our concerns. 

September 14, 2015

Contact: Cindy Hoang, National Consumers League, cindyh@nclnet.org or (202) 207-2832 or Becca Youngs, media@lifelock.com

Washington, DC – LifeSmarts, the nation’s premier consumer literacy competition, today announced a new major partnership with LifeLock, Inc., (NYSE: LOCK), the industry leader in proactive identity theft protection, at the launch of its 2015-2016 program year. 

LifeSmarts is a program run by the Washington, DC-based National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s oldest consumer advocacy organization. It competitively tests high school students’ knowledge of consumer literacy, with subjects including personal finance, health and safety, consumer rights and responsibility, technology, and the environment. LifeSmarts is available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and in partnership programs with student leadership programs Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).

This month, LifeSmarts kicks off its 22^nd season, which looks to be the biggest and best yet, as the program had participation in 42 states last year. In LifeSmarts, which coincides with the school year, thousands of student teams compete at the local and state level, with top-performing teams then advancing to the national championship held each April. The 2016 National LifeSmarts Championship will take place April 9-12, 2016, in Denver. Winning teams receive scholarships and other prizes.

Last year, students answered more than 3 million LifeSmarts quiz questions about real-world consumer topics including credit reports, identity theft, recycling, nutrition, social media, state lemon laws, and everything in between.

“We’re thrilled to welcome educators and students for the new program year,” said Lisa Hertzberg, LifeSmarts Program Director. “LifeSmarts is the nation’s premier consumer education competition for high school students. LifeLock joins a very strong network of committed corporate and non-profit partners who support our work to provide teens with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful adults in the 21^st Century.”

“Students today face an incredible number of new issues from evolving technology to environmental change. We’re committed to equip them with the latest consumer knowledge so that they can make well informed choices. LifeSmarts shares our goal and brings this mission to life in a way that’s engaging and effective for students,” said Hilary Schneider, president of LifeLock.

For more information about LifeSmarts, visit www.lifesmarts.org.

Other major LifeSmarts contributors include: Visa, Western Union, Comcast NBC Universal, Experian, Intuit, Google, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Amazon.com, American Express Company, Microsoft, and others. 

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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.

About LifeLock
LifeLock, Inc. (NYSE:LOCK) is a leading provider of proactive identity theft protection services for consumers and consumer risk management services for enterprises. LifeLock’s threat detection, proactive identity alerts, and comprehensive remediation services help provide peace of mind for consumers amid the growing threat of identity theft. Leveraging unique data, science and patented technology from ID Analytics, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, LifeLock offers identity theft protection that goes significantly beyond credit monitoring. As part of its commitment to help fight identity theft, LifeLock works to train law enforcement and partners with a variety of non-profit organizations to help consumers establish positive habits to combat this threat.

August 27, 2015

Contact: Cindy Hoang, National Consumers League, cindyh@nclnet.org or (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC–On July 21, 2015, the National Consumers League filed a complaint in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia alleging that McCormick and Giant, through misrepresentations and false impressions, violated the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act. Specifically, NCL alleges that these companies sold ground black pepper and peppercorns in a manner which disguised the true amounts and prices of the pepper sold to consumers in the District of Columbia. McCormick and Giant, allegedly as a means of disguising a recent pepper price increase, decreased the amount of pepper sold in their peppermills and in their metal tins (to which consumers have been accustomed over decades). Such “slack-filling,” forbidden under certain circumstances by the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act, combined with confusing shelf labels and inaccurate check-out pricing, were intended to (and did) camouflage the price increases from 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.

August 18, 2015

Contact: Cindy Hoang, National Consumers League, cindyh@nclnet.org or (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—Today the National Consumers League (NCL) commends the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its approval of the first-ever treatment for women’s low libido.  The drug comes nearly four decades after the condition of HSDD (Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder)—which it has been approved to treat—was recognized in scientific journals. NCL has been calling for FDA to consider the treatment option because it would be the first of its kind for women; there are 26 drugs on the marketplace available to treat male sexual dysfunction.

In October 2014 and June 2015, NCL’s Executive Director Sally Greenberg testified in support of treatments for patients suffering from HSDD. The following statement may be attributed to Greenberg: 

This is the biggest breakthrough in women’s sexual health since the advent of ‘the Pill.’ Men have 26 different drugs available to treat sexual dysfunction. Now, with this drug’s approval, women finally have one. That’s a start. We hope to see competitor treatments that will offer women suffering from HSDD the same kinds of options available to men.

We have been hoping for approval of the first-ever drug to treat HSDD for several critical reasons. Once there’s an FDA treatment available, women are less likely to purchase untested and possibly dangerous products online. The FDA’s rigorous testing ensures that drugs tested in clinical trials that include thousands of women won’t carry harmful and unknown side effects. Secondly, once a treatment is approved by the FDA there will be other companies coming forward with competitor drugs, and that gives women choices, which we strongly support. 

Approval of this therapy is monumental for so many reasons: because it validates/legitimizes female sexuality as an important component of health; it underscores the FDA’s recognition of female sexual dysfunction as among the top 20 unmet medical needs; and it acknowledges that as a condition, HSDD is not simply a psychological problem or a reflection of cultural pressure on women, but a biological condition that can be treated with an effective medication. It’s been a long time coming, but this approval is a welcomed and landmark breakthrough in women’s sexual 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.