Consumer group praises Berkeley vote on soda tax – National Consumers League

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November 5, 2014

Contact: Ben Klein, National Consumers League, benk@nclnet.org, (202) 835-3323

Washington, DC- The National Consumers League (NCL) applauds Berkeley, California for passing the nation’s first tax on sweetened beverages yesterday. The measure imposes a one-cent-per-ounce tax on distributors, with proceeds going to the city’s general fund. With the looming obesity crisis, soft drink consumption’s link to health problems like obesity and Type 2 diabetes was likely the motivating force behind the debate.

“The residents of Berkeley were wise to support this modest tax on soda and to stand up to the soft drink industry. Taxes like these promote healthier beverages and fight the causes of obesity, ” said Sally Greenberg, NCL executive director.

In San Francisco, a similar measure proposed a two-cent-cent-per-ounce tax but did not pass. This measure would have required a two-thirds majority vote, as proceeds were earmarked for health and nutrition programs. Mexico’s soda tax, which was instituted in January, has resulted in decreased sales of high-calorie beverages and an increase in sales of water and low-calorie beverages. Even in areas where proposed taxes don’t pass, consumer awareness about the adverse effects of soft drink consumption is increased, potentially yielding positive health outcomes.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, 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. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Group calls on Burger King, others to match European fast food worker wages – National Consumers League

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October 28, 2014

Contact: Ben Klein, National Consumers League, benk@nclnet.org, (202) 835-3323

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL) is calling on the CEOs of three companies to pay their workers a living wage in the United States, after a story appeared in the New York Times documenting that three chains–Burger King, McDonalds, and Starbucks–pay the equivalent of $20 an hour and provide myriad vacation and sick leave benefits to fast food workers in Denmark. 

“We are writing to you and to your competitors in the industry to ask that [you] pay a living wage to your entire workforce, starting in the United States, because clearly you can and will in countries that demand it,” said the letter, signed by Sally Greenberg, the League’s executive director.

The letter continued: “We believe it is both callous and unpatriotic for Burger King to shortchange the wages of your workforce, while paying more than double those wages in other countries where unions are more powerful.” 

NCL is demanding that these fast food outlets act to close this wage gap immediately. The Times story, written by Liz Alderman and Steven Greenhouse, noted that the average wage for fast food workers in the United States is $8.90/hour. According to a recent study from the University of California at Berkeley, half of American fast food workers have to rely on public assistance to make ends meet.

“The obvious conclusion is that Burger King and its fast food competitors also mentioned in the story can and do pay a living wage and decent benefits in other countries, but refuse to do so for your very own American workforce,” said Greenberg. NCL also noted that the National Restaurant Association, an industry trade group, regularly opposes increased wages and benefits fast food and other workers in the restaurant industry.

NCL noted that while hamburgers in Denmark might cost a bit more — 80 cents or so according to the Times — “… they sell there as they would here. If doing the right thing requires raising the price of a Whopper by 80 cents, so be it. Consumers will pay that in the United States, as they do in Denmark.”

Finally, the NCL letter asked the company not to offer up the usual excuses. “Please don’t respond by telling us how good Burger King is to its workforce or try to defend this behavior by explaining why things are different in Denmark. Consumers and workers support companies that treat their workforces with respect and pay them a living wage. This revelation about Burger King paying $20 and myriad benefits to your workforce across the Atlantic calls out for a company response.”

The NCL letter offered to work with the companies and support serious efforts to close the wage gap.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, 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. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

National Consumers League statement on FTC action on data throttling – National Consumers League

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October 28, 2014

 

Contact: Ben Klein, National Consumers League, benk@nclnet.org, (202) 835-3323

Washington, D.C. – The National Consumers League today applauded the Federal Trade Commission for its actions to address consumer complaints that AT&T engaged in unfair throttling of consumers’ wireless data services. The following statement is attributable to Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director:

“It is important that wireless carriers be clear and upfront with their customers about what level of service they should expect when they pay for ‘unlimited’ data services. What should be unacceptable is if carriers allow consumers to pay for ‘unlimited’ plans but then use unreasonable throttling for business reasons instead of true network management reasons. It is clear from the FTC’s complaint that more than 3.5 million consumers did not get the level of service they expected based on the information they received. It is our hope that the FTC’s investigation will prompt a reevaluation of throttling practices that may be widespread in the wireless industry.”

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, 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. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

 

Consumer group welcomes ‘Food Scores’ rating tool – National Consumers League

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October 28, 2014

Contact: Ben Klein, National Consumers League, benk@nclnet.org, (202) 835-3323

Washington, DC- Today the National Consumers League (NCL) commends new consumer food education database recently released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The tool, called “Food Scores,” awards packaged food products ratings on a 1-to-10 scale that takes into consideration nutrients, ingredients and processing  as well as identifying how the food measures up on a variety of criteria such as organic certification, the use of antibiotics in livestock, animal welfare, and exposure to pesticides. With more than 80,000 packaged foods in its database, the tool can serve as a source for providing consumers with quick, clear answers to their questions about what is in—and behind—the foods they purchase.

“Food Scores is a tool for consumers looking to learn as much as they can about a product in one place,” said Sally Greenberg, executive director of NCL. “Educating consumers about which foods measure up and which are actually filled with fat, sugar, and sodium is a vital step in promoting healthier eating and ending the obesity crisis.”

The Food Scores database is a combination of information gleaned from manufacturer labeling and Environmental Working Group’s own research. In addition to the overall score, the database provides three more detailed scales addressing nutrition, ingredient, and processing concerns. It also provides the Nutrition Facts panel, ingredient list, and any certifications or seals the product bares.

With the release of the database, EWG hopes to point out the prevalence of excessive sugar in products consumers wouldn’t suspect such as salad dressings, yogurt, and granola bars. Advocates expect the database to also apply pressure on industrial food makers to stop adding unnecessary ingredients out of convenience. Food Scores is currently an online tool but will be made available as a mobile app.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, 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. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

Americans toss 40 percent of food produced, while 50 million go hungry; New report raises concerns about food waste in U.S. – National Consumers League

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October 24, 2014

Contact: Ben Klein, National Consumers League, benk@nclnet.org, (202) 835-3323

Washington, DC- A new report published to coincide with Food Day reveals that America is one of the worst food waste offenders, tossing 35 million tons of food each year, and offers solutions for retailers and consumers. Released by the National Consumers League, the report finds that, worldwide, a quarter to a third of all food goes to waste, and in America, the figures are more stark: 40 percent of our food remains uneaten, and the numbers are trending upwards.

“We hope this report sounds the alarm. America needs to grapple with this issue and begin to take steps to change the national mindset on food and food waste. Like the United Kingdom, which has embarked on a national strategy to reduce food waste by 50 percent by the year 2020, Americans need to be mindful of our buying and consuming habits. We are throwing away 40 percent of the food we produce, while nearly 50 million Americans struggle to put food on the table,” said Sally Greenberg, executive director of NCL. “It is a shame that we as American consumers waste so much food while millions of families are food insecure. It’s a disconnect that needs to be addressed. ”

NCL’s new report, Wasted: Solutions to the American Food Waste Problem, is an examination of the financial, ethical, and environmental concerns associated with food waste, and offers solutions to address the challenge. The report highlights how certain retailer practices encourage consumers’ overbuying and highlights the crucial role industry, environmental, and consumer groups working together could play in reducing food waste and decreasing its substantial environmental and landfill consequences.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans threw out 35 million tons of food in 2012, 50 percent more than in 1990. American families toss out an estimated 25 percent of the food they purchase, costing between $1,350 and $2,275 for a family of four each year. At the same time in the United States, 14 percent of households struggle to put food on the table. Raising consciousness about the importance of food as a commodity could lead to more responsible habits, according to the consumer advocacy group.

“Food waste has ethical, financial, and environmental implications. Wasting food, when one in nine people on earth suffers from chronic hunger, is wrong,” said Kelsey Albright, NCL food policy fellow and the lead author of the report. “As Americans’ relationship with food trends further from the farm and closer to the grocery store isles, knowledge about origin, preparation, and storage is lost, and our appreciation of food and incentives to conserve this precious resource have diminished.”

NCL’s Food Waste report demonstrates that many consumers are aware wasting food is a problem, but consistently underestimate their contribution to it. Few people realize the environmental effects of growing, transporting, and ultimately throwing out food. The amount of oil needed to feed each person every year is 400 gallons. Additional oil is used when transporting uneaten food as trash. When food begins decomposing in garbage dumps, methane, the second most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted in the United States, is released.  

“While there is waste at every stage in the American supply chain, the good news is that consumers are responsible for the largest percentage of food waste, and they have the power to make a difference,” said Greenberg. “Our report emphasizes consumers’ need for information about food storage and expiration dates and encourages retailers to promote better consumer choices.”

TIPS FOR CONSUMERS TO REDUCE WASTE

  1. Plan out meals in advance and use a list when grocery shopping to prevent overbuying.  Always inventory the fridge and pantry before heading to the grocery store.
  2. Properly store and preserve food, preparing or freezing what can’t be used before it goes bad. Learn classic preservation methods like canning and drying produce.
  3. Know how to properly read and interpret expiration/sell-by and use-by dates. Rely on senses to determine whether food has spoiled or is still edible.
  4. Make smaller portions for dinner at home and always take home – and actually eat –leftovers from restaurants.
  5. Get creative and repurpose foods that may go bad soon. For example, stale bread can be turned into croutons and breadcrumbs; apples into applesauce or baked goods.
  6. Compost scraps of food that cannot be eaten.

“This report outlines why addressing food waste should be the next big environmental movement in this country,” said Elizabeth Bennett, the founder of Fruitcycle, a social enterprise that makes healthy snacks from fruit that would otherwise go to waste. “The massive scope of the issue means that there is tremendous opportunity for consumers, farmers, retailers, and other businesses to work together to create solutions.”

NCL’s report was released in conjunction with Food Day, a nationwide celebration for healthy, affordable, and sustainable food.

To read the new report, visit nclnet.org/foodwaste.

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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.

National Consumers League statement on White House action on data security – National Consumers League

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October 17, 2014

Contact: Ben Klein, National Consumers League, benk@nclnet.org, (202) 835-3323

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) today applauded the Obama Administration for its action to address the need for great data security protections for consumers’ sensitive information.

The following statement is attributable to Sally Greenberg, NCL executive director:

As the number and magnitude of data breaches pile up, it is clear that more must be done to address the vulnerability of consumers’ personal financial information. When consumers’ data is compromised, real harm is done. Whether it be due to missed payments when debit or credit cards are canceled or the increased threat of identity theft, consumers pay the price when their data isn’t sufficiently protected.

That is why we are extremely pleased to see the White House today release its *Executive Order on data security. As a major early adopter of chip and PIN card technologies, the federal government can help spur adoption of this more secure method of payment. We are also encouraged by the Administration’s collaboration with businesses to increase consumer access to credit scores, identity theft monitoring and resolution support tools. We are encouraged to see many pro-consumer businesses like Visa, American Express, and MasterCard, partnering with the Administration to take positive steps towards better protections for consumers and we look forward to working with the White House and these businesses to strengthen consumers’ data security.

Finally, we look forward to being a part of the forthcoming Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection Summit. As we have highlighted through NCL’s #DataInsecurity Project, the hacking threat is one of the great consumer protection challenges of our time. By convening stakeholders to address this problem at the highest level, the Administration can begin to tilt the data security playing field back in consumers’ favor.

*Links are no longer active as the original sources have removed the content, sometimes due to federal website changes or restructurings

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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.

NCL congratulates Satyarthi on Nobel Peace Prize – National Consumers League

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October 10, 2014

Contact: Ben Klein, National Consumers League, benk@nclnet.org, (202) 835-3323

Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) congratulates Kailash Satyarthi, a great friend and 1995 recipient of the NCL Trumpeter Award, for today’s announcement that he has received the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. Satyarthi is the world’s leading champion in the fight to end global child labor and is credited with freeing tens of thousands of children from child labor in India.

Satyarthi shares the honor with Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel Prize recipient at 17 years old, a Pakistani teenager who bravely fought threats on her life and endured a gunshot wound to the head in her quest for access to education for girls across the Middle East.

Since NCL’s founding in 1899, the League has worked to end the scourge of child labor both domestically and abroad. Twenty-five years ago NCL founded—and has since co-chaired—the Child Labor Coalition (CLC), a group of 34 advocacy organizations dedicated to reducing the number of children trapped working in factories, mines, and agriculture around the globe. The CLC has worked closely with Satyarthi for the last two decades; in 2012, the CLC assisted him with the planning of an international child labor in agriculture conference that helped highlight the predominant child labor sector.

The following statement can be attributed to Sally Greenberg, executive director of NCL and co-chair of the CLC:

“Today, the world’s leading champion in the fight to end child labor was rightfully recognized by the international community. Today, 168 million children continue to toil in the worst of conditions: as domestic workers at very young ages, in artisanal mines, picking trash in dumps, carrying bricks, and diving for fish in dangerous waters.  Because of the work of Kailash and others, the number of child laborers has decreased by 70 million over the last decade.  Still, far too many children’s lives are cut short under the yoke of these oppressive conditions. This Nobel Prize recognition will focus the world’s attention once again on the scourge of child labor. Advocates like Kailash Satyarthi, who has committed his life to ensuring that children have access to education and a safe and healthy childhood, have helped raise awareness and helped to pull millions of children out of child labor and given these children new opportunity and hope.”

Satyarthi’s organization, Bachpan Bachao Andolan or Save the Childhood Movement, is attributed with rescuing 83,000 children from servitude in India since 1981.

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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.

NCL to honor AFL-CIO’s Trumka, Jobs with Justice’s Granich with annual awards – National Consumers League

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October 6, 2014

Contact: Ben Klein, National Consumers League, benk@nclnet.org, (202) 835-3323

Washington, DC— The National Consumers League (NCL), the nation’s pioneering consumer and worker advocacy organization, will honor Richard L. Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO, with its highest honor, the Trumpeter Award, on Wednesday, October 8, in Washington, DC. The event will bring together a diverse group of representatives from nonprofit organizations, labor unions, consumer organizations, and industry to celebrate a busy year of victories for consumer and worker advocates. Lara Granich, Director of Missouri Jobs with Justice, will receive this year’s Florence Kelley Consumer Leadership Award.

“The Trumpeter Award is NCL’s highest honor, given to leaders who have dedicated their lives to improving the rights of consumers and workers. President Trumka fully embodies these values, as his career-long commitment to America’s families have had a measurable impact on conditions for our workforce,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg. “We are proud of NCL’s historical and modern-day ties to the labor community and look forward to working together to increase workplace protections for all Americans.”

Since 2009, Trumka has been president of AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in America. Throughout his career as a labor leader, first with the United Mine Workers of America, and since 1995 with AFL-CIO, Trumka has dedicated himself to fighting for fair and honest labor practices for American workers. He created investment programs for the labor movement, urged the creation of, and now chairs, the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council, and was instrumental in developing tactics to rally the support of international labor on behalf of U.S. workers struggling for workplace justice against multinational conglomerates.

The first recipient of the Trumpeter Award, in 1973, was Senator Ted Kennedy. Previous honorees include Labor Secretaries Hilda Solis, Robert Reich, and Alexis Herman, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, Senators Carl Levin and Paul Wellstone, Delores Huerta of the United Farm Workers, and many others. Last year Mignon Clyburn, Commissioner at the Federal Communication Commission, received the honor.

Lara Granich, Director of Missouri Jobs with Justice will receive this year’s Florence Kelley Consumer Leadership Award, named for NCL’s early leader and awarded to grassroots consumer advocates. In her time at Missouri Jobs with Justice, Granich has helped lead successful campaigns to increase the minimum wage, defend affirmative action, and support workers organizing unions and bargaining for better lives at work. She also co-chairs the Jobs with Justice National Board.

The event will feature a reception, dinner, and speaking appearances by NCL leadership and the honorees, as well as:

  • Cecil E. Roberts, International President, Untied Mine Workers of America
  • Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Commissioner, Federal trade Commission
  • Sarita Gupta, Executive Director, Jobs with Justice

Event details
What: National Consumers League’s 2014 Trumpeter Awards 

When: Wednesday, October 8, 2014
7 p.m. Dinner and Presentation of Awards

Where: Grand Hyatt Washington,1000 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
Questions or to RSVP: Call National Consumers League, (202) 835-3323

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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.

Chase breach underscores cost of Congressional inaction on data security – National Consumers League

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October 3, 2014

Contact: Ben Klein, National Consumers League, benk@nclnet.org, (202) 835-3323

Washington, DC – News of yet another massive data breach — this time at JPMorgan Chase — underscores the urgent need for data security reforms in Congress, according to the National Consumers League. Affecting 76 million households and 7 million small businesses, the Chase breach comes on the heels of other mega-breaches this year at Home Depot, Jimmy Johns, eBay, and Community Health Services.

“These data breaches are occurring with frightening regularity, and striking some of the country’s biggest companies. It is clear that our cyber security systems are unable to stay one step ahead of these bad guys,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL executive director. “It is time that our elected officials sit down with businesses and law enforcement to develop a comprehensive plan for protecting Americans’ personal information from cyber thieves.”

This summer NCL launched its #DataInsecurity Project to raise awareness about the impact of data breaches on consumer confidence in the marketplace. NCL is calling on Congress to pass a strong national data breach notification law, require businesses that hold consumers’ data to abide by data security standards, and give the Federal Trade Commission and states greater authority to hold companies that fail to protect consumers’ personal information accountable.

“Seventy-six million households at Chase, 56 million cards at Home Depot, 145 million accounts at eBay — enough is enough,” said John Breyault, NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud  “With each new breach, consumers’ trust in the marketplace is eroded. We must not accept the massive theft of consumers’ personal information as the ‘new normal.’ These breaches should serve as a wake-up call to Congress that we need reform now.”

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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.

NCL, U.S. PIRG reiterate support for FDA proposal – National Consumers League

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September 30, 2014

Contact: Ben Klein, National Consumers League, benk@nclnet.org, (202) 835-3323

Washington, DC – Two consumer organizations today reiterated their support for the Food and Drug Administration’s proposal to allow the same labeling rules for generic drugs as currently required for brand name drugs. The following statement can be attributed to Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League and Mike Russo, federal program director of U.S. PIRG.

“Allowing the generic manufacturers to initiate safety updates, as brand-name companies have done for 30 years, is essential to patients and consumers, as promptly updated warnings can provide informed consent to patients and physicians and prevent serious harm to patients. The National Consumers League and U.S. PIRG continue to support in the strongest terms the FDA’s labeling rule for generic drugs. We continue to encourage the FDA to publish a final rule, allowing generic drug manufacturers to unilaterally update their labels as quickly as possible to provide sufficient warnings and protect and inform consumers who take generic drugs.”

See the original letter sent to the FDA on September 9, 2014 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.