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Aquafresh for Kids: Contains Undisclosed Peanut Oil*

Aquafresh kids People who have food allergies always have to read ingredients labels to make sure none of the things they are allergic to is in the product. Some of the most common allergens are milk, eggs, peanuts, seafood, and gluten. Those with allergies to any of these items could suffer health threatening reactions.

One would never suspect that any of these ingredients was contained in a toothpaste, let alone a kids toothpaste. When one scrutinizes the Aquafresh for Kids label, it seems perfectly safe and appropriate for kids with allergies.

Aquafresh ingredients

*MOUSE PRINT: According to this video news story from WCVB-TV, Kids Aquafresh  contains peanut oil, but there is no disclosure of this life-threatening ingredient on the label.

A mother discovered this hidden ingredient the hard way when her child became ill.

GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Aquafresh, says that the peanut oil is not listed on their label because they are not required to — only food products must list major allergens, not health and beauty aids.

On the Aquafresh website, in a FAQ, they say the product does not contain gluten, and the tube does not contain latex. But, there is no disclosure there about peanut oil.

The worst mouse print is the mouse print that is missing. Whether the law requires it or not, companies that market products that may cause a serious allergic reaction, particularly for children’s products, should disclose that possible threat.

UPDATE: August 4, 2006

On the website for the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, GlaxoSmithKline says they told consumers that Aquafresh for kids had peanut oil to “be on safe side” since they didn’t know for sure. Now they say it has no peanut oil. Here is their statement:

“The health and safety of the consumers who use our products is of utmost importance, and we would like to assure them that no Aquafresh toothpaste products contain flavors with peanut oil, peanuts or peanut derivatives.

“We were recently contacted by several consumers requesting information about the possibility of trace amounts of peanut oil in our Aquafresh toothpaste products.   It was our belief that trace amounts of peanut oil could be present in certain flavor blends purchased by Aquafresh from external flavor suppliers. Consequently, we responded to those consumers that there was a possibility that trace amounts of peanut oil may be present in some Aquafresh products.

“Subsequently, we have contacted our flavor suppliers to confirm this information. We are pleased to learn that all of the flavor blends currently used to manufacture Aquafresh toothpaste contain no peanuts, no peanut oil and no peanut derivatives.

“Until we were able to validate our flavor blend information, we chose to err on the side of caution and told consumers that the products may contain trace amounts of peanut oil. In light of how serious some allergies can be, we felt that was the right thing to do. As an additional assurance, we are arranging to have independent tests of our toothpaste conducted.

“We apologize if this has caused any confusion or concern among our loyal customers. If consumers have additional questions, they may contact us toll free at (800) 897-5623.”     

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Tide: Same Box, 17oz. Less*

Tide smallThese boxes of Tide look identical, but they are not. One has 17 ounces less detergent than the other, and costs the same price. How can this be?  It is called “downsizing.”

Product downsizing has been a fact of consumer life since the nickel candy bar. Rather than pass on a price increase directly to consumers, many manufacturers simply and inconspicuously make the product a little smaller, while keeping the selling price the same. Effectively, this is a hidden price increase. Historically, paper towels, detergent, candy bars, toilet paper, coffee, and tuna fish have been common items that keep shrinking in count or net weight.

Manufacturers virtually never call the consumer’s attention to the fact that you are getting less for your money. In fact, they often direct the grocery shopper’s attention away from the small net weight statement by proclaiming something new about the product, like a new fragrance or improved formulation.

Tide powder appears to have just downsized the contents of its boxes significantly, while leaving the packages the exact same size.

*MOUSE PRINT: Old box: “87 OZ (5.43 LB)”; New box: “70 OZ (4.37 LB)” [Packages on store shelves July 8, 2006. Click on packages above to read net weight statements. ]

Despite the fact that you are getting over a pound less of product for the same price in the same size box, you still somehow get “40 uses” from each package. Did they make the scoop smaller?  Did they fluff up the powder?  Did they change the formula? Does it still work as well?  Tide customer service responds:

“You are still getting the same number of uses per package of Tide. By removing non-necessary materials in the manufacturing process, we improved the solubility and improved the cleaning performance. The changes we have made are so that less weight can do more. Keep in mind, you aren’t measuring the amount by weight. You are using a volume measurement on the scoop. If you fill the scoop to the lowest fill line (the amount recommended for an average wash load), you will get the number of uses printed on the package.”

Also surprising is that except for the inconspicuous change to the net weight statement in the bottom right-hand corner of the box, the packages are absolutely identical in size, wording, and graphics. Unless you are in the habit of checking the net weight of the product every time you shop, you could easily have been completely unaware that over a pound of Tide had inconspicuously been removed from the box.

The lesson: check the net weight and net count of products you regularly buy so you can spot these sneaky changes.

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NetZero: From Only $4.95*

netzero smallNetZero wanted MrConsumer back as a customer (do they know who they are dealing with?? ) and sent me a postcard offer with a fabulous price — $4.95 per month (click on picture on the right to see the entire offer). There is an asterisk after the $4.95, and one would have hoped that would lead to the catch: only if you buy a computer for everyone in your family, only if you sign up by no later than yesterday, or only for the first two months of service, etc.

Their mouse print on the postcard reads: “Additional phone and live technical support charges may apply. Special pricing not available to all members. Service not available in all areas.” [NetZero offer received 6/30/06.]

Okay, nothing (seemingly) bad there. But, when I visited their website link for this offer, that’s where the real catch was lurking.

*MOUSE PRINT: “Up to 10 Hours only $4.95 per month.” [website 6/30/06]

netzero 10 hours

It is unfortunate that a company that goes to the trouble of sending you a personalized offer, does not include one of the most important details, even if only in the mouse print. Instead, they force the reader to go to a website to find the catch.

One test of deceptiveness is to measure how far away from the original claim the asterisked disclosure is. A fine print footnote in a print ad is often considered too far away from the headline. But how do you measure the distance from the $4.95 postcard offer in my hand to the disclosure only found in cyberspace?

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