Last week, California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel introduced AB 2244, which would create a state certification program for “not ultraprocessed” foods and require large food retailers to “prominently display” the foods within their stores. The bill represents a pragmatic and innovative approach that has the potential to revolutionize American diets. For supporters of an outright ban … Continued
Topics in this issue: New Report: The Scam Economy Rising Insurance Costs Are Harming Homeowners – Tell Congress to Act Now CFA’s Adam Rust Testified Before House Financial Services Committee on Escalating Threat of Fraud and Scams Ultra-Processed Food Creep
The Consumer Federation of America along with Ultraviolet Action led the following coalition letter from 64 civil society organizations around the country. The letter was sent today to Meta, Rayban parent company EssorLuxottica, the White House, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, several key state Attorneys General, and leadership of relevant Congressional committees. … Continued
More competition could go a long way towards fixing the food system. Progress towards breaking up highly concentrated food and agricultural industries, or even just putting the brakes on further consolidation, may seem daunting. But solutions are available. Perhaps even more importantly, awareness is growing of the obstacles to reform that monopolists and their political … Continued
From CFA’s Eye on AI Substack by Ben Winters Several months after Trump’s Executive Order that sought to scare states away from passing regulations to protect their constituents from AI-driven harm, the Administration published a “comprehensive national legislative framework” (4 pages) this morning that addresses “the most pressing policy topics that AI presents.” The framework is … Continued
CFA’s latest report estimates that Americans are losing $119 billion a year to online scams. This is over seven times higher than what was reported to the FBI in 2024. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Annual Report is “the primary destination for the public to report cyber-enabled crime and fraud as well as a key source for information on scams and cyber threats.” But … Continued
As the Administration’s new dietary guidelines urge us to “eat real food,” actually avoiding sketchy additives in everything from tortillas to coconut milk is not getting easier. This is true even for customers at Whole Foods, one of the nation’s largest chains committed to “sell[ing] the highest quality natural and organic foods.” Our investigation started … Continued
It is an experience that has become all too common—homeowners are seeing their insurance premiums rise by hundreds or even thousands of dollars. And this crisis is not just limited to a couple of states: consumers are grappling with premium hikes across America. Many people are struggling to afford coverage or even finding out their … Continued
The MAHA moms are understandably outraged by last week’s Executive Order purporting to promote Bayer Monsanto’s popular weed killer Round-Up through the Defense Production Act of 1950. Otherwise known as glyphosate, the herbicide does untold damage to wildlife, habitat, and people, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. More credible authorities, … Continued
Amidst the shock and awe of the U.S. siege in Venezuela, federal immigration police occupying Minneapolis, and the potential dissolution of the post-World War II international order, the steady climb in food prices has not garnered much media attention. But rest assured, to those feeling pain in the checkout lane, you are not alone. On … Continued
As the story of the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans unfolds, state and local policymakers take note. The sordid tale of the alcohol industry’s “success” in shaping the Guidelines should make clear where the responsibility now lies for providing accurate, unbiased information about alcohol’s health risks. State legislatures and city councils face formidable resistance from … Continued
The UN General Assembly adopted the first-ever United Nations Principles for Consumer Product Safety on December 15, 2025. This is a landmark framework that affirms all people have the right to safe products, whether purchased online or offline, and whether new, used, repaired, or reconditioned. A Framework for Product Safety At its core, the framework … Continued
Spending on artificial intelligence—think data centers—may have accounted for as much as half of GDP growth in the first half of the year. But economic growth does not always equal a better deal for consumers. Early tech adopters in the food space remind us why. To be sure, plenty of food tech innovations, from photosensory … Continued
Topics in this issue: Why Trump’s CFPB Gave MoneyLion a Sweetheart Deal Bluelining: How Insurance Exclusion Happens Today CFA and AELP Submit Petition to FTC for Renewed Click to Cancel Rulemaking How Consumer Advocates Can Use Datawrapper to Create Interactive Maps
If the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) were to close its doors today, 836,588 Americans would be left waiting for an answer to the complaints they have filed with the CFPB. According to records in the still-operating CFPB Complaint Database, these complaints are labeled “in progress.” In essence, they have been filed, but not resolved. … Continued
Research is an essential part of any advocacy campaign. Whether you’re fighting payday lenders or pushing for greater privacy protections, legislators and regulators respond best to data that illustrate the scope and severity of a problem. One of the most effective ways to display data are with maps. Maps make abstract national and state-level averages … Continued
Trump-installed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Acting Director Russ Vought is abandoning all pretense that he is serving the interests of anyone other than corporate lawbreakers. One of the ways the political leadership at the CFPB has tried to save face and contest the painfully obvious truth that it wants to end the Bureau altogether is … Continued
As our climate crisis intensifies, insurance companies are increasingly picking winners and losers in who can still afford home insurance and homeownership. Insurance costs are eating up growing shares of household budgets. Between 2021 and 2024, premiums rose in 95 percent of ZIP codes. More and more homeowners are now underinsured or uninsured. Communities of … Continued
Topics in this issue: New Report Warns Black Friday Shoppers of Unsafe Products on Online Marketplaces The Insurance Market Over the Past Five Years: What Consumers Should Know What to Make of “MAHA-Con”? CFA Challenges Trump’s Attempted Firing of FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter
Last week, top Trump Administration officials including Vice President JD Vance and HHS Secretary RFK, Jr. spoke at an event dubbed the “Official MAHA Summit.” Aside from a conversation between Vance and RFK, Jr., the conference was not televised and excluded press. But its available now in podcast form! As FoodFix’s Helena Bottemiller Evich remarked, … Continued
As the Administration fights court orders to pay out federal food assistance to 42 million people, stories of desperation abound. With luck, the shutdown will soon put an end to the untold humiliation and stress suffered by 1 in 8 Americans who have lost a critical lifeline. But this political debacle’s public health impacts will … Continued
When I joined the Consumer Federation of America in spring 2020, I quickly plunged into the complex and fast-changing world of auto and homeowners insurance markets, learning quickly about gaps in consumer protection and the many ways we needed to stand up for consumer rights. The problems that have come into focus include extraordinary premium … Continued
Topics in this issue: New Report Demonstrates Mortgage Deserts Exist Nationwide CFA Analysis Shows Insurance CEOs Get 27% Salary and Bonus Bump While Consumers See Premium Hikes and NonRenewals The United States of Amnesia: Forgotten Lessons from the 2008 Financial Crisis The Federal Communications Commission is About to Unleash Unstoppable Robocalls
Back in September, with the shutdown looming, the Trump Administration issued “lapse of funding” plans for the various Executive agencies, including the Department of Agriculture. The plans describe the “essential” operations that will continue during a shutdown. At USDA, those operations included funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. More specifically, they included paying … Continued
The government shutdown – now heading into its fourth week – intensifies nine months of the Trump Administration’s attacks on critical agencies and programs. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has been among the targets facing deep funding and staffing cuts: the agency has lost nearly 30 percent of staff since January 2025. … Continued