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Here We Skimp Again: Protein

When manufacturers want to save money, they can make the package smaller (shrinkflation) or reformulate the product using cheaper ingredients (skimpflation). This time, two companies chose the latter, and are cutting back on the amount of protein in their products.

Healthy Choice Protein Bowls

Sometime in the past several months Healthy Choice decided to come out with a new name and new recipe for the Power Bowls. They renamed them “Protein Bowls” and kept the size the same – 9.75 ounces. But ironically, they reduced the protein in each package by 15% from 26 grams down to 22 grams.

*MOUSE PRINT:
Healthy Choice bowls comparison

Best we can tell the amount of chicken stayed the same because both products have the same amount of saturated fat. But it looks like they reduced the amount of pinto beans and added more leafy greens.

Healthy Choice ingredients

Kellogg’s Special K Protein

A while back Rob S. told us about Special K Protein cereal that reduced the amount of protein in their product from 15 grams per serving to just 10 — a one-third reduction. They removed wheat gluten from the reformulated product – a source of protein.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Special K Protein

Kellogg's Special K ingredients

Apparently this was a very popular cereal with many consumers buying it by the case. And then they noticed the protein reduction. From the Kellogg’s website, their fury boiled over in dozens of one-star reviews.

  • I have been eating this cereal EVERY SINGLE MORNING FOR YEARS. So imagine my surprise when I recently stumbled upon this page to find the reviews pointing out that Kellogg’s dramatically lowered the amount of protein in it. I understand it’s not like they’re going to slap a banner across the box that says, “Now with much less protein!” But, come on, this was sneaky and underhanded. It has made me lose all faith in Kellogg’s.

  • I thought I was losing it!! Nice, thanks for ripping us off. My husband just bought me a huge box. It will be the last one. Boo! Hiss!

  • Shame on you for trying to trick customers with labeling. You know exactly what you have done with lowing the amount of protein in your product and charging same high price. You have successfully lost another customer!!

    • If you find a product that was reformulated or watered down with cheaper ingredients, please send the details to Edgar (at symbol) MousePrint.org. Thanks.

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    Don’t Fall for a Mystery Shopping Job Scam

    One of our regular readers, Dan K., recently responded to an ad seeking mystery shoppers. When he got their materials, he instantly knew it was a scam and wanted to share it with all of you.

    He received what looked like a legitimate check as advance payment for his first shopping assignment.

    Mystery shopping check

    That almost $2,000 check was to cover expenses and his pay for his first assignment. He was instructed to cash or deposit the check at his local bank. The check included a $75 bonus for completing the assignment within 48 hours.

    The instructions that came with the check required him to purchase a total of $1,400 of Apple gift cards at two Walmart stores of his choice. Five hundred dollars of the check was his upfront payment for doing the assignment. The gift cards, he was told, were going to be used later in a second assignment.

    Besides writing an open-ended narrative about his experience at the Walmart stores, the assignment required him to do something else very important.

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    card numbers

    And this was key to the scam. Once the crooks got the gift card numbers, they could drain the value of the cards. Then the newly-minted mystery shopper would subsequently learn that the check they sent him did in fact bounce. In essence, he just gave the crooks $1,400 in gift cards at his own expense.

    There were a number of other red flags in the instructions that would signal to veteran mystery shoppers like MrConsumer that the assignment was not legitimate:

  • The company name on the check did not match the company name on the instruction sheet.

  • These companies never pay you in advance.

  • You never get paid generously — most assignments might only pay $10 or $15, or getting a free meal.

  • You never get to pick any store in the chain to review undercover.

  • You never are told to simply describe the shopping experience — there is always a long, detailed questionnaire.

    • If you are interested in becoming a mystery shopper, here are some legitimate companies where you can apply. You may have to provide a writing sample. Incidentally, never pay anyone to become a mystery shopper.

  • Market Force
  • Ipsos
  • A Closer Look
  • Coyle

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    Surprises Hidden in Credit Card Fine Print

    Fidelity Signature VisaRecently, MrConsumer benefited from a bargain he wouldn’t have known about had he not checked the benefit fine print of his credit card’s website.

    He has an upcoming trip to Washington, DC and was getting worried about all the airport horror stories of long lines and delays. He knew that TSA PreCheck is a means to get through airport security quicker but wasn’t about to pay close to $80 for a once-in-a-blue-moon plane trip.

    It turns out, however, that some credit cards offer TSA PreCheck as a free benefit. But, only a couple of credit cards with no annual fee cover that cost. One is the U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Signature Visa, and the other is the Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature card.

    MrConsumer coincidentally has that Fidelity card but never uses it — until now. Double checking the fine print, sure enough that is one of the few extra benefits still offered by this card. And the benefit is available every four years. (TSA PreCheck is a five-year membership for $79.95.)

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    Fidelity PreCheck benefit

    While reading the Fidelity Guide to Benefits, however, MrConsumer found two nasty surprises.

    *MOUSE PRINT:

    Fidelity Visa lost benefits

    Purchase security, which protects goods buyers if what they bought is lost or stolen within 90 days of purchase, has been a mainstay of credit card benefits for decades. Lost luggage protection is less common, but a nice, valuable benefit to have had for years.

    This move by Fidelity follows an industry trend of dropping costly credit card benefits, as it did back in 2021 when it discontinued their very valuable “extended warranty” and “collision damage waiver” coverages (see our story back then). After receiving complaints, collision damage waiver was subsequently reinstated.

    So keep an eye on your credit card’s benefit list — there may be some valuable goodies there you didn’t know about or news of other benefits soon to disappear.

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