Happy New Year 2025

Tag: customers

Trader Joe’s recalls frozen Organic Acai Bowls, orders customers to dispose of them

Check out what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.

Trader Joe’s is asking its customers to throw away a certain frozen product over fears that it may contain plastic.

The beloved grocery store chain announced the recall on Feb. 14. In a statement on its website, Trader Joe’s advised customers to dispose of any Trader Joe’s Organic Acai Bowls, regardless of UPC code or best-by dates.

“Out of an abundance of caution, please discard any Trader Joe’s Organic Acai Bowls, as the product may contain foreign material (plastic), or return them to your neighborhood Trader Joe’s store for a full refund,” the company said.

The supermarket chain did not disclose any reported injuries or how many product units were impacted.

QUAKER OATS RECALL UPDATED TO ‘MOST SERIOUS’ CATEGORY AS FDA SOUNDS ALARM ON PANCAKE MIX

Trader Joe’s is recalling its frozen Organic Acai Bowls out of concern about potential plastic contamination. (Trader Joe’s / Fox News)

Trader Joe’s has recalled products over plastic contamination in the past. Last year, the chain’s Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings were recalled over fears that it contained hard plastic from a permanent marker pen, impacting 61,839 pounds of the frozen soup dumplings.

Trader Joe’s also recalled 653,000 of its mango tangerine scented candles last August. At the time, the grocery store said that when the candle flame was lit, it could “spread from the wick to the wax, causing a larger than expected flame, posing a fire hazard.”

TUNA CANS SOLD AT TRADER JOE’S, WALMART AND OTHER SUPERMARKETS RECALLED OVER ‘POTENTIALLY FATAL’ FLAW

A signage on a shopping cart at the Trader Joe’s Upper East Side Bridgemarket grocery store in New York, U.S., on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. (Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“If you purchased the Mango Tangerine Scented Candle, please do not use it,” Trader Joe’s said in its recall announcement. “We urge you to discard the product or return it to any Trader Joe’s for a full refund.”

Customers with questions about the latest recall are urged to contact Trader Joe’s Customer Relations at (626) 599-3817.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

A woman shops for groceries at Trader Joe’s in San Francisco, Calif. Tuesday, January 26, 2021. ((Jessica Christian/The San Francisco Chronicle / Getty Images)

FOX Business reached out to Trader Joe’s for additional comment.

February 19, 2025
Starbucks customers across the US in uproar over company’s new cup design
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol says the company’s app needs to be more transparent on pricing.

Many Starbucks lovers can now expect to receive their cold coffee orders in cups featuring a new design.

Depending on the state, some Starbucks locations have switched their transparent single-use plastic to opaque white compostable cups, a move that has sparked dissatisfaction among some customers who expressed having difficulty drinking out of the new lids.

The change is a step toward the company’s sustainability goals, according to a Starbucks company spokesperson.

“On Feb. 11, a small number of stores in 14 states switched to commercially compostable cups and lids as part of our efforts to reduce waste and meet local market requirements,” the spokesperson told FOX Business.

DRINKING COFFEE AT A CERTAIN TIME OF DAY COULD REDUCE DEATH RISK, STUDY FINDS

Starbucks’ new compostable cup can be found in Oakland, California. (Reddit/@Genera1Ts0 / Fox News)

Starbucks is working to make its cups entirely compostable, recyclable or reusable by 2030, according to the company’s website.

The switch allows the company to align with local regulations in certain cities that have passed legislation requiring transitions away from single-use plastic.

While the coffee giant has 17,000 stores across the U.S., only about 580 stores have implemented the changes across the following 14 states:
- California
- Washington
- Hawaii
- Minnesota
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Maryland
- Connecticut
- Virginia
- South Carolina
- Colorado
- Georgia
STARBUCKS CEO SAYS BETTER PRICING TRANSPARENCY NECESSARY FOR MOBILE APP

Starbucks’ new compostable cups come with flat or dome-shaped lids. (Starbucks)

The new cups, which are made from molded fiber, come with both flat or dome-shaped lids to carry both regular iced coffee and even whipped frappuccinos.

Because the opaque cups look similar to those used for hot drinks, one Reddit user said the new cups make it difficult for customers to photograph their colorful drinks.

“No more Tiktok drinks,” a Reddit user said. “Can’t flaunt a drink if it’s hidden.”

Ticker Security Last Change Change %

SBUX STARBUCKS CORP. 112.55 +0.16 +0.14%

Starbucks’ single-use plastic cups used to allow people to photograph their colorful drinks. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

Many customers have expressed dissatisfaction over the new designs across numerous Reddit posts, claiming that the cups are uncomfortable to drink out of and that the lids do not seal well.

“They are awful & so awkward to drink out of,” a Reddit user commented in a post about Starbucks’ new cups.

Another Reddit user posted a photo showing leakage from the new lid.

“What the H, Starbucks??” the Reddit user said in the post.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

For customers who are not fans of the new compostable designs, Starbucks said there are still other alternatives.

“As an alternative, customers are welcome to bring in their clean, personal reusable cup or order their beverage “for here” to have their beverage served in a ceramic mug or glass,” a Starbucks spokesperson said.

“We’re committed to innovation, testing and learning to meet the expectations of our partners and customers – and the requirements of the markets we serve,” the spokesperson said.
February 18, 2025
Egg customers crying fowl over empty shelves, high prices can now rent their own chickens

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins discusses how she is preparing to reform the agency and how she and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will tackle the egg crisis on ‘Kudlow.’

As customers face empty shelves and rapidly rising egg prices at the supermarket due to the avian flu and a lower national supply, breakfast lovers have another option – their own backyard.

Founded 12 years ago, Rent the Chicken provides customers with two egg-laying hens, a portable chicken coop, up to 200 pounds of feed, food and water dish and a book on taking care of chickens.

“Within two days of the arrival, your chickens will lay eggs ready to use!” the company promises, adding that the homegrown eggs have one-third the cholesterol, one-fourth of the saturated fat and two times more omega three fatty acids that store-bought eggs.

The company adds, “Your Rent The Chickens should lay about a dozen to two dozen eggs per week depending on your Rental Package. You will know exactly what your chickens eat!”

NEW YORK RESTAURANT OWNERS SLAMMED BY SURGING EGG PRICES

As customers face empty shelves and rapidly rising egg prices at the supermarket due to the avian flu and a lower national supply, breakfast lovers have another option – their own backyard. (Tim Graham/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Customers can schedule a date on the website or the phone and the company will bring out the chickens, which are already laying eggs, as well as the supplies.

The chickens are also available for adoption if the customer realizes they want to keep them at the end of the rental period, the company added.

APP USERS CLICK HERE FOR POST

Rent the Chicken co-founder Jenn Tompkins told ABC News that their phone is “ringing off the hook” as egg prices go up.

“Our online inquiries are filling up very quickly as well,” Tompkins said. “We will run out of hens available for rent. If anyone is interested, please make sure to put their reservation in sooner than later.”

She said that the chickens cost around $500 to rent for about six months.

EGG SHORTAGES FORCE SOME GROCERY STORES TO IMPOSE LIMITS

More and more stores are seeing empty shelving because of dwindling egg supplies. (Getty Images)

While that averages out to about $20 a week for eggs, Tompkins said the chickens provide food assurance amid scarcity.

“We are not coming against the high price of eggs,” she explained to USA Today. “We are solving a problem of food insecurity; of not having eggs on the shelf. People can have eggs in their backyard.”

Eggs Unlimited Vice President Brian Moscogiuri told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday that the country is going through “the worst bird flu outbreak that we’ve had in the last 10 years since 2015, potentially the worst bird flu outbreak that we’ve ever had in the history of this country.”

In the last year, egg prices have risen 53% since January 2024, and they’re already up 15% since January of this year.

In the last three years, 153 million cases of bird flu have been found in poultry.

“We’ve lost 120 million birds since the beginning of 2022. In the last few months alone, since the middle of October, we’ve lost 45 million egg-laying hens,” he added. “We’ve lost a significant amount of production, more than 13%. So we’re just dealing with supply shortages. And it’s just a disaster right now because this virus is in three of the top egg-laying states in the country. It doesn’t seem like it’s stopping anytime soon.”

In the last year, egg prices have risen 53% since January 2024, and they’re already up 15% since January of this year. (Celal Gunes /Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Joe Defrancesco, a Connecticut farmer who started renting his chickens out five years ago, told WVIT-TV, “It’s really a learning experience. Yes you get an egg per chicken per day and it’s a great thing knowing you have eggs right in your backyard and you’re guaranteed.”

Tompkins told Axios that the birds also have an added benefit for renters.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

“The chickens provide a level of therapy that people didn’t know that they needed,” she said.

February 16, 2025
Retailer Fashion Nova suppressed negative online reviews, $2.4M going to customers

FTC director of public affairs Douglas Farrar reacts to Albertsons suing Kroger after a judge ruled against the grocery merger on ‘The Big Money Show.’

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is issuing over 148,000 refunds totaling nearly $2.4 million in a settlement order involving online fast fashion retailer Fashion Nova, which is accused of hiding negative reviews.

To qualify for the refund, consumers who purchased items from Fashion Nova before Nov. 21, 2019, had to make a “valid claim” with the FTC before the August 15, 2023, deadline. Currently, the FTC is no longer accepting claims in the matter.

In the final order, Fashion Nova is explicitly prohibited from hiding reviews or endorsements, and is obligated to present them to customers “regardless of the endorser’s opinion or rating.” Additionally, the retailer was ordered to pay $4.2 million.

A view of the atmosphere at Fashion Nova Presents: Party With Cardi at Hollywood Palladium on May 8, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Fashion Nova)

FASHION NOVA SUED FOR COPYING JENNIFER LOPEZ’S ICONIC VERSACE DRESS

While recipients of the FTC payments in this case were spread out across the country, according to the commission’s data, Illinois had the largest number of recipients with more than 25,000. Among the 148,351 recipients, the median refund was $16, according to the FTC.

The FTC made its allegations against Fashion Nova in January 2022, kicking off the first-of-its-kind case.

“From as early as late 2015 through mid-November 2019, Fashion Nova chose to have four- and five-star reviews automatically post to the website, but did not approve or publish hundreds of thousands lower-starred, more negative reviews,” the FTC wrote in its complaint against Fashion Nova.

The FTC claimed to have found “numerous instances” in which Fashion Nova “suppressed product reviews with ratings lower than four stars,” making the representation of their products “false or misleading.”

The FTC claimed to have found “numerous instances” in which Fashion Nova “suppressed product reviews with ratings lower than four stars.” (iStock / iStock)

FTC GRANTS CHAIRMAN ANDREW FERGUSON AUTHORITY TO COMPLY WITH TRUMP’S ORDERS TO END DEI PROGRAMS

While this case was the FTC’s first involving negative reviews, it was not the commission’s first case involving Fashion Nova. In April 2020, the fast fashion retailer agreed to pay $9.3 million over allegations “that it didn’t properly notify consumers and give them the chance to cancel their orders when it failed to ship merchandise in a timely manner, and that it illegally used gift cards to compensate consumers for unshipped merchandise instead of providing refunds.”

Additionally, in 2022, the FTC put several companies offering review management on notice, informing them that “avoiding the collection or publication of negative reviews violates the FTC Act.”

Signage stands outside the Federal Trade Commission headquarters in Washington, D.C., in 2019. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

In its guide to featuring online customer reviews, the FTC instructs companies to not “prevent or discourage” consumers from submitting negative reviews. While a “reasonable process” to ensure reviews are genuine is allowed, the FTC tells businesses to “treat negative and positive reviews equally.”

February 5, 2025
Wine spirit: States seek to end shipment bans as local winery customers navigate uneven policies

Winemaker Charles Smith discusses the decline in wine sales on ‘Varney & Co.’

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, states that currently prohibit shipping alcoholic beverages to family and friends are working to change one of America’s last remaining “blue laws.”

Delaware, Mississippi and Utah all prohibit direct shipment of wine, with several other states enforcing varying restrictions.

Utah is considered a “felony state” in terms of liquor transit, with one of the only loopholes being a one-quart allowance of brandy from a resident returning from abroad.

In Delaware, the local winery industry is being unduly burdened by similar laws.

“Delaware is one of three states in the country that still allows no direct shipment of alcohol,” said state Rep. Jeff Spiegelman, R-Townsend.

11 STATES ACCUSE TOP INVESTMENT FIRMS OF MANIPULATING ENERGY MARKET AGAINST COAL POWER

Lead singer of ‘Hootie & the Blowfish’ Darius Rucker joins ‘Cavuto: Coast to Coast’.

“This would enhance small business. It would enhance an agricultural product, and it would allow consumers to get the products that they’re demanding. They are demanding the service. And we’re planning on giving it to them,” he said in a video statement.

Spiegelman pointed to Harvest Ridge Winery in Marydel, Del., which by its name denotes its location on the state line.

Maryland customers are able to ship their wine, but Delawareans can’t under the law.

The lawmaker said the misconception with prohibitions like the First State’s is that opening up the shipping market would let bulk amounts of liquor proverbially flow freely around the state via Amazon and other retailers.

But the 47 other state test-cases show that is not accurate.

State Rep. Mike Smith, the sponsor of the legislation, said he hopes to put it forward in session very soon – and is encouraged that the “changing of the guard” in Dover will give it a good chance of passing.

Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer did not respond to a request for comment, but did replace term-limited fellow Democrat John Carney. Additionally, the leadership of Delaware’s Democratic legislative majority changed with the new year.

UNIFIED OPPOSITION TO PA-BASED US STEEL TAKEOVER ‘MISGUIDED’ SAY ECONOMISTS, LOCAL OFFICIALS

Wilmington, on the Christiana River, is Delaware’s largest city. (iStock / iStock)

“I think everybody’s coming at it from ‘This is the best deal we’re going to get. Let’s do it,’” said Smith, R-Hockessin.

New House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown, D-New Castle, did not respond to a request for comment.

Smith’s district abuts Oxford, Pa., and the lawmaker said he sees many customers from the Keystone State able to ship Delaware wine to their homes without issue as well.

Pennsylvania has had its own stringent liquor laws for decades, since former GOP Gov. Gifford Pinchot set the stage for its state-store system in the early 20th century.

Only in 2016 did Harrisburg move to allow wineries to ship limited quantities of wine – so long as they obtain a license and pay excise taxes. All other liquor must be purchased from government-run Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores.

Supermarkets in the state also only recently found themselves allowed to sell beer.

During the coronavirus pandemic shutdown, a Naaman’s Corner, Del., booze superstore saw such a surge in Pennsylvanian customers locked out of their own shuttered state-run alcohol retailers – and slipping the few hundred yards across the state line – to the point that Delaware police began stopping out-of-state vehicles near the shopping center.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Northbound traffic enters Delaware on the JFK Turnpike near Newark (Getty)

The disparity in booze-shipping and -purchasing laws – and movements to change them to mirror the rest of the country – are not unique to the northeast, as Mississippi lawmakers told Fox News Digital on Friday.

A spokesperson for the Tupelo State’s House Speaker Jason White, R-Kosciusko, said the chamber passed a bill in 2024 similar to Delaware’s planned legislation.

That effort died in the state Senate, but the spokesperson said the House plans to try again this session. The Mississippi plan would permit the direct shipment of wine – excluding liquor – and cap the amount of units per household. The state Senate reportedly has drafted a similar bill that gives proponents hope.

Meanwhile, Steve Gross, vice president of state relations for the Wine Institute, said the advocacy group is “very supportive” of efforts to pass “direct-to-consumer wine-shipping law[s]. . . .”

“We appreciate the work of these legislators to provide this choice to the citizens of Delaware.”

February 3, 2025
Starbucks customers to see condiment bars and ‘for here’ drinks in mugs in US, Canada

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol tells FOX Business why the company enhanced its parental leave benefit.

Starbucks customers in the U.S. and Canada will notice some changes when they visit the coffee chain’s locations on Monday.

Condiment bars will return to Starbucks locations, according to the Seattle-based company. At the condiment bars, customers will have the ability to “add the finishing touches to [their] beverage with the return of creamer and milk, along with a variety of sweeteners,” Starbucks said.

THE NEW STARBUCKS STRATEGY: WILL CEO BRIAN NICCOL’S PLAN WORK?

The company also said baristas at locations in the U.S. and Canada will put “any” drinks ordered “for here” in coffee mugs, glasses or customers’ “clean personal cup brought from home” beginning Monday.

People pass by a Starbucks coffee shop in Manhattan on Jan. 15, 2025. (Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via / Getty Images)

Dine-in customers will now be allowed free refills of hot brewed or iced coffee, or hot or iced tea during the same visit to the store, according to the company. Cold brew, nitro cold brew, iced tea lemonade, flavored iced tea or refreshers are not eligible for free refills.

The chain has put an updated “Coffeehouse Code of Conduct” into effect as well.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %

SBUX STARBUCKS CORP. 98.81 +0.82 +0.84%

“Our Coffeehouse Code of Conduct is something most retailers have and is designed to provide clarity that our spaces – including our cafes, patios and restrooms – are for use by customers and partners,” the company said.

STARBUCKS REVERSES OPEN BATHROOM POLICY

The code of conduct also prohibits discrimination, violence, consumption of outside alcohol, smoking, drug use and panhandling, among other things, at its locations.

Starbucks Coffee signage in Warsaw, Poland, on July 31, 2024. (Aleksander Kalka/NurPhoto via / Getty Images)

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said in late October that the chain would re-implement the in-store condiment bars and start using mugs for people drinking their beverages in-store.

At the time, he also detailed other changes the company was looking to make, including to “cut down our overly complex menu to align with our core identity as a coffee house company,” to “take steps to better separate mobile order pickup from the cafe experience” and to bring back the practice of baristas using Sharpie markers.

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said in late October that baristas would bring back the practice of using Sharpie markers. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via / Getty Images)

In early November, Starbucks ditched the fee it charges to customers who substitute non-dairy milk in drinks at company-owned and operated locations in the U.S. and Canada.

STARBUCKS CORPORATE LAYOFFS LOOMING IN MARCH: CEO

“It is clear we need to fundamentally change our strategy to win back customers and return to growth. Back to Starbucks is that fundamental change,” Niccol said in October. “We have to get back to what has always set Starbucks apart, a welcoming coffee house where people gather and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas.”

January 27, 2025