Fluorinated substances: the best packaging for your fast food?
The food that I serve my three children is likely to contain unwanted substances due to contaminated soil, air or water. It’s sad, but it’s a fact. What I struggle to understand is why problematic substances are intentionally added to...
The biggest ever collective switching campaign for energy in the Czech Republic
Problems for consumers in the energy market abound. Czech households often pay more for electricity and gas than they should. Door-to-door sales is a common and aggressive practice which often relies on bully tactics to get customers into disadvantageous contracts....
The food industry is too sweet on sugar
We Europeans eat too much sugar. The problem is not the sugar that is naturally present in milk and fruits but the one that manufacturers add to food and drinks. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by lunch time...
The (not so) magic friend to a healthier life
The holiday season is over. Goodbye yummy roasts, creamy puddings and chocolates. Hello green tea, porridge and nuts. This might resonate if you’re among the many people who make New Year’s resolutions. The point of this blog is not to...
Consumers deserve better security in electronic payments
It is a lesson from history that fraud always moves to the least secure form of payment available. The first credit card was launched in 1950 in the US. To authorise a payment, the consumer simply had to present it...
There’s no right season to market unhealthy food to children
You are surely used to see chocolate or candy ads flourishing in supermarkets or online. That’s no surprise as Saint Nicholas’ Day just kicked off the candy-laden season, with Christmas next in line. If adults are tempted, children are even...
#Toyfail: When toys fail children
What would you say if the doll you bought for Christmas was used to eavesdrop on your child, or if the conversation you have with the doll was used for targeted advertising and shared with unnamed 3rd parties? Most of...
TTIP is hibernating. So let’s improve it.
At this point it’s perhaps a bit cliché to say it, but free trade is on shaky ground. Public support for trade liberalisation is waning, the Financial Times illustrated. This scepticism is very much highlighted by wrangling on a proposed...
“I want my update!”
Imagine you want to buy a new mobile phone: a smartphone that is a software-driven internet device. You expect this new device to work on the latest technology. You expect that it will be able to run the latest apps....
What does the EU copyright reform mean to you as a consumer?
In September, the European Commission revealed its plans to modernise EU copyright laws. “Why is that important for me?” you might think. Fair point. For most consumers copyright law does not top the list of their daily concerns. But think...