Food/Groceries

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Krispy Kreme: A Family Vacation for Life*

Krispy Kreme Vacation Sweepstakes t

Sweet. Krispy Kreme is holding a sweepstakes and the top prize is a family vacation for life.  Assuming a 35 year old husband and wife and two kids won, adding up airfare and hotels for the next 40 years would be quite expensive… so what a valuable prize this is.  Or is it?

*MOUSE PRINT: “Ownership one week timeshare at a nationally recognized vacation club based in Orlando, FL and $5000 …”  Alternatively, you can take $15,000 instead of the timeshare and $5000. [Newspaper insert April 2, 2006]

Who would have expected that the prize was really a timeshare? Also, note that airfare is not part of your vacation.  You will surely use up your $5000 pretty quickly on that, and on maintenance fees normally charged on timeshares.  And, unless you always want to vacation in Orlando, there may be extra charges to swap your week for a week in another location.

Sweet?

P.S.  You don’t have to buy a dozen donuts to get a game ticket. You can just ask for one with no purchase necessary.

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Fishscam.com: Don’t Worry About Mercury in Fish*

Fishscam TMany consumers are concerned about the cumulative health effects of eating certain fish because of its possible mercury content.

This ad says there is no reason to worry unless you are eating a lot of whale meat.

The only identification of the source of this ad is at the bottom: fishscam.com

Who is behind “fishscam”?

*MOUSE PRINT:  Fishscam is part of a nonprofit called the Center for Consumer Freedom.  Sounds like a conventional consumer group, right? Not exactly. While they do have individuals who are members, they list restaurants and food companies first as members of their coalition.  [US News, March 27, 2006]

That is not to say that restaurants and food companies don’t have legitimate gripes about junk science, or other matters they have weighed in about (such as the ‘McDonald’s made me fat’ lawsuits).

In any event, health claims are very hard for consumers to evaluate. It seems like one day a study says that certain foods are bad for you, and the next day another study says they are not problematic at all. Who and what can you believe?