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Consumer solutions to the financial fix.  Image: Wolfgang Wildner (Creative Commons Licence)  

Consumers International (CI) is the only independent global campaigning voice for consumers.

With over 220 member organisations in 115 countries, we are building a powerful international consumer movement to help protect and empower consumers everywhere.

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Global consumer movement sets out conditions for a new financial order

Money by Roby under Creative Commons Licence Robust consumer protection, tougher banking regulations and bailouts that put the consumer first... the key points of CI's position on the financial crisis ahead of a major UN summit.

Find out what the global consumer movement is calling for 
Exclusive blog commentary from consumer policy experts

See also... What our membership are doing about the financial crisis


 



WHO starts consultation on the marketing of food to children

World Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization (WHO) has started the final stage of its consultation on the recommendations it will make on the marketing of food to children.

Between June and August 2009, WHO regional offices will be seeking input from all member states.

As part of this process, CI and its member organisations around the world will continue to urge the WHO to adopt the principles set out in CI’s Recommendations for an International Code on the Marketing of Foods and Non-Alcoholic Beverages to Children.

Read more...
Have your say on marketing to children

See also... The Junk Food Trap; CI Code on Marketing Food and Alcoholic Beverages to Children; Cereal Offences  New media, same old tricks


Consumer empowerment and responsible business conduct

Is switching off the lights enough?What progress have companies made in developing greener, more ethical products? How can governments and business mobilize consumers to become more energy-efficient and empower corporations to the climate change cause?

These were just a few of the questions considered when civil society, business and government joined in discussions at the recent OECD Roundtable Conference on Corporate Responsibility held in Paris.

Samuel Ochieng, CI’s President, delivered the keynote address focusing on The role and expectations of the global consumer movement from the perspective of a developing country.

Read the keynote address...     
OECD Conference on Corporate Responsibility     
Have your say on the CI blog… 

See also… Corporate Social Responsibility and Standards


Consumer debt on constant rise in Latin America

ODECU Chile money (Image: Creative commons licence: Flickr User: Totoro!) Does buying new clothes and gadgets make us happy?

This month’s CI member highlight features ODECU’s study, which reveals alarming levels of debt and overspending. Every month, one-fifth of pay packets in Chile are being poured into debt repayments.

The report probes consumer minds and banking fine print in Latin American countries to discuss why the tide of debt has risen 15% per annum in the last four years and puts forth recommendations to prevent debt and bail out consumers in trouble.

Read more...
Have your say on the financial crisis

See also… Consumer solutions to the financial fix


TACD turns 10

The Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) celebrates its 10th anniversary this month from 7-10 June in Brussels with a host of meetings and a conference on regulating nanotechnology in food and consumer products. The Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) celebrates its 10th anniversary this month from 7-10 June in Brussels with a host of meetings and a conference on regulating nanotechnology in food and consumer products.

Regulating Nanotechnology in Food and Consumer Products: Developing A Consumer-focused Transatlantic Approach  aims to bring together experts from industry, academia, governments and consumer groups for a day of discussion and debate on the necessary steps for ensuring that products containing nanotechnologies are safe and beneficial to consumers.

Consumers International (CI) caught up with Julian Knott, TACD Coordinator, before he left for Brussels and talked about a decade of negotiating across the Atlantic.

Read more...  

Also visit... the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue website


Consumers hoofwinked by Brazil’s beef industry

Idec's research shows that the beef industry fails consumers when it comes to sustainability.Would you stop eating meat because it has damaged a forest and destroyed human lives on its way to your plate?

In March CI's member highlight featured Idec’s research about Brazil’s abattoir and meat processing industry which reveals that little or no safeguards are in place to avoid buying cattle raised through deforestation and the use of slave labour.

Now the The Guardian reports on research that also links deforestation of the Amazon rainforest to supermarkets in the UK, 'British supermarkets are driving rapid destruction of the Amazon rainforest by using meat from farms responsible for illegal deforestation...'.

Read more about Idec's research and how Brazil’s beef industry fails consumers when it comes to sustainable beef production...
The Guardian - British supermarkets accused over destruction of Amazon rainforest

See also... Member highlights  


International developments in regulating the promotion of prescription medicines

Marketing Overdose - www.marketingoverdose.orgRegulation and the promotion of prescription medicines... the focus of a new CI global study in nine countries spanning five continents. The research reviews industry codes of conduct, national legislation and company practices.

A research briefing, released at the 2009 World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva ahead of the publication of the final report later in the year, outlines the research methodology used and presents a preliminary analysis of the regulation of gift-giving, one of the key focus areas of the study. 

Read more...        
Download the research briefing       
Have your say...  
      

See also... Marketing Overdose - the campaign against irresponsible drug promotion; Branding the cure; Drugs, Doctors and Dinners 


Self-medicating with swine flu antivirals makes the situation worse

Consumer Power in Mexico warns consumers against self-medicating with swine flu antivirals (Image: flickr user: Quiplash! - Creative Commons Licence)Consumer Power (El Poder del Consumidor) reports from Mexico where swine flu antivirals have been removed from the market in keeping with an order from the Mexican Secretary of Health.

This follows reports from the US where pharmacies have sold out of the swine flu antivirals.

The consumer group also sees this as an effective measure against the antivirals being prescribed unnecessarily, warning consumers that self-medicating with antiviral drugs against swine flu will make the virus more resistant to future treatment. 

Read more...

Also follow... Marketing Overdose - CI's campaign against the irresponsible promotion of  drugs; Marketing Overdose blog; La influenza porcina y las Granjas Carroll  


US copyright report leaves consumer groups disappointed

A2Knetwork.orgThe US government has published its annual ‘301 Report’ targeting countries it sees as weak on intellectual property law.

This annual report, which has once again disappointed consumer groups and ‘fair use’ advocates, follows the publication of CI’s own IP Watch List of national copyright laws.

The IP Watch List is part of our Access to Knowledge programme: A2Knetwork.org

Read our reaction to the 301 Report


New IP Watch List reveals copyright law is failing consumers

Books by neil-san under Creative Commons LicenceFrom book clubs to blog entries, consumers have always wanted to access knowledge, share content and contribute to the creative process. Yet intellectual property (IP) laws often work against these legitimate activities.

Launched as part of our Access to Knowledge programme, the Intellectually Property (IP) Watch List is a global snapshot of how IP and copyright laws serve or subvert consumer interests.

The inaugural survey of 16 countries reveals that many national IP laws are stuck in the 20th Century and do little to support consumers in the Internet Age.

Visit CI's Access to Knowledge website: A2Knetwork.org

Download the IP Watch List
For more on national IP laws, read the Country reports
Read further comment and share your thoughts on the CI blog


Left wanting more...

Left wanting more - For more information visit www.junkfoodgeneration.orgThe food and drink industry is still not doing enough to curb junk food marketing to children.

Left wanting more, CI's latest global report, reveals the inconsistent and inadequate policies of the major food and drink companies when it comes to marketing unhealthy food to children.

Read more...
Download the report
Join the debate - have your say! 


See also...
The Junk Food Trap; CI Code on Marketing Food and Alcoholic Beverages to Children; Cereal Offences  New media, same old tricks


Raising consumer awareness with radio productions

Media capacity building in Jamaica - Raising consumer awareness with radio promotions (Image: Billy V on flickr - Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic)Lively dialogue and catchy reggae backtracking...

This is the case in Jamaica where the National Consumers League, with the help and training of Panos-Caribbean and two of Jamaica's best known journalists, produced a series of radio skits – minute-long consumer information productions – for Radio Jamaica.

The media capacity training aimed to raise awareness about the pressing consumer issues Jamaica faces with the focus on energy saving, money management and obesity.

Read more about the training and listen to three of the radio skits...


See also...
Raising the consumer voice in the developing world; Benin - Consumer journalism competition; Indonesia promotional brochure


Consumer solutions to the financial fix

This financial crisis began with a failure to protect consumers. Effective, affirmative and preventative consumer protection needs to be a major part of the global solution.

Find out about CI's key demands, download our latest statement and get commentary from consumer experts around the world.

Our work on the Financial Crisis

Financial crisis commentary on the CI blog


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Member news

Australia
Choice says new Consumer Affairs Minister siding with big supermarkets as Grocery Project scrapped by Government.

South Africa
NCF puts consumers at the heart of its 9 steps to solving the financial crisis.

Bulgaria
BNCA exposes a 'pancake' mix that turns out to be just overpriced flour.

Azerbaijan
Empowering municipalities - capacity building in the country's Mugan region.

Uganda
CONSENT says irrelevant government spending exposes consumers to financial crisis.

EU and United States
TACD conference: 80 NGOs demand pre-market approval for nanomaterials.

Azerbaijan
ICU talks Biosafety and GMO at key meetings.

Spain
FACUA blows whistle on 27 Internet sites illegally selling drugs from Tamiflu to Viagra.

TACD 10th Anniversary
CI interviews the coordinator of the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue.

Rhoda Karpatkin Programme 
Training for campaigning advocates from CI member organisations in developing countries.

South Africa
NCF condemns energy giant’s 34% price-hike in time of financial misery.

United States
CU reports 98,000 may still be dying from preventable medical errors.

South Africa
NCF conference highlights credit and food-price crisis as country officially slips into recession.

Chile
Top three pharmaceutical companies accused of fixing prices for greater profits, says Conadecus.

Spain
FACUA speaks directly to consumers globally through Twitter.

France
CLCV says electrical retailers are not doing enough to promote product take-back recycling.

Hong Kong
HKCC finds that supermarket prices are cheaper before sales and promotions.

United States
CU gets their children to write letters about food safety to President Obama.

Mexico
Consumer Power warns that self-medication against swine flu will make the virus stronger.

India
CUTS discusses trade and climate change: Lamb from distant New Zealand leaves a smaller carbon footprint than the UK's.

Africa
First regional A2K meeting held in Kenya to discuss how intellectual property concerns in Africa are unique. Read more on the A2K microsite.

Russia
Konfop highlights cost-effective cabbage on 'anti-crisis' menu for healthy living in economic downturn.

India
Consumer Unity and Trust Society say European countries blocking shipment of generic medicine with irrelevant IP laws.

France
UFC-Que Choisir says new Internet law on downloading could brand innocent consumers guilty.

United States
Consumer Reports finds some health-insurance policies are not enough to cover hospital fees of over US$200,000.

Mexico
Colectivo Ecologista de Jalisco's virtual school shows how to limit exposure to chemicals all around us.

Fraud Prevention Month
OFT and other government consumer protection agencies in global month of action.

South Africa
NCF and the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) sets up a call centre for taxi commuters.

Italy
Altroconsumo takes consumer education to the next level with interactive websites aimed at young consumers.

Armenia
ANNA kicks off introduction to education for sustainable consumption with a drawing competition.

United Kingdom
New consumer organisation Consumer Focus is created from the merger of two former CI member organisations.

France
UFC-Que Choisir highlights the alarming link between hospital admissions and prescription drugs.

Global Consumer Action Day
Forty five member organisations highlight the importance of Education for Sustainable Consumption (ESC).

Malaysia
CAP writes to the editor of the New Straits Times calling for drastic steps to halt the diabetes trend in Malaysia.

Spain
CECU takes part in European Mobility week - the most widespread event on sustainable mobility.

Biosafety project workshop
First regional campaigning and advocacy training workshop takes place in Nairobi, Kenya.

Tajikistan
CUT launches new energy advice centres for consumers.

>>>More...