A consumer thread

@everyone

Burger King is, well, known for its burgers, and those who aren't satisfied with just one burger are able to score a free burger with the purchase of one as part of a new deal. But, this deal only lasts for a limited time, so here's what you have to know to get it.

Of all their burgers, Burger King is most popular for its Whopper, "a real meaty flame-grilled Whopper beef patty, topped with tangy pickles, ketchup, fresh tomatoes, crisp lettuce and fresh onions, finished with creamy mayo and served on a toasted five-inch sesame seed bun." There's a lot of history with the Whopper, too, since the very first of its kind was sold in 1957.

Burger King has announced that this week is officially BOGO Whopper week, and participating locations are offering a buy one, get one free Whopper deal each day of the week through April 27 using an offer in the Burger King mobile app or website. Patrons may use the BOGO Whopper deal once a day during the promotional period.

Burger King is the second largest fast food hamburger restaurant franchise in the world. "At Burger King, we've been serving up mouthwatering burgers since 1954," the company states. "Each day, over 11 million guests visit a Burger King restaurant somewhere in the world. With locations in more than 100 countries and US territories, the original Home of the Whopper has a global reach that other QSR burger franchise opportunities can't match."

The Whopper has taken on many different forms over the years. Burger King notes that their famed Angry Whopper was first introduced in 2008, "made with melted habanero cheese, hardwood-smoked bacon, fresh jalapeño slices, and layered spicy onion petals, topped with Angry sauce." It's not a regular offering, but "over the years, BK has brought back the fan favorite for a limited time," so perhaps that's in the cards.






Q: Why did Burger King have to marry Dairy Queen?

A: He forgot to wrap his whopper
 
When the fast food joints start closing, it's usually not a great indicator for the economy.

Jack in the Box plans to close up to 200 underperforming locations, aiming to bolster its balance sheet amid declining consumer spending.

The San Diego-based chain also announced it’s exploring a sale of its struggling Del Taco brand, according to CBS News. Most closures will target older, low-performing stores, with up to 120 shutting down by year’s end and the rest phasing out based on franchise terms...

Jack In The Box Closing Up To 200 Locations
 
Earlier this year, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced a ban on food dye Red No. 3, which is commonly found in candy, grocery store baked goods, gummy vitamins and various cereal and dessert products. Since then, states like Arizona, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia have passed laws banning other synthetic food dyes from schools.


But at a press conference this week, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took this initiative a step further. He announced that both the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA will start to roll out a ban on the following synthetic food dyes: Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Green No. 3, Citrus Red 2 and Orange B.

These dyes aren’t just found in candy or snacks—there are produce, dairy, meat and other surprising products that will be impacted by this new legislation. But before we go through the foods affected, you may be wondering if you should worry or avoid these foods with synthetic dyes in the meantime. Our senior nutrition editor Jessica Ball, M.S., RD has an answer that will hopefully ease your nerves.

“While there is some research on the health effects of food dyes, it is limited and often done on animals rather than humans. This means there’s not clear or unanimous evidence that they are harmful in moderation,” shares Ball. “There are several more evidence-backed things that are linked with positive health outcomes, like an overall balanced diet, regular physical activity, stress management, quality sleep and access to healthy foods. Those are things I would recommend focusing on rather than focusing on avoiding food dyes.”

With that said, here are the unexpected foods that may start looking a little different if or when the food dye ban is in full effect.

10 Foods That Will Look Different Without Food Dyes​

1. Cereal​

While it may not necessarily be shocking that cereals like Lucky Charms and Froot Loops contain food dyes like Red No. 40, Blue No. 1 and and Yellow No. 5, the amount of cereals on the market with these dyes is surprising. Cereals like Fruity Pebbles, Trix, Fruity Cheerios, Apple Jacks and Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries will need to look for new ways to create vibrant hues without the affected dyes.

2. Salad Dressing​

Ever wondered what ingredient gives Kraft’s Creamy French Dressing its classic orange tone? It’s Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6, which are included in the ban. Kraft’s Classic Catalina dressing also has Red No. 40 and Blue No. 1—but whether dyed or dye-free, we prefer making salad dressings at home to spruce up our greens anyway.


3. Sausage​

Did you know that some hot dogs and sausage casings are synthetically dyed with Orange B? It makes sense when you think about it, but if your go-to ball park meal starts to look a little different during the 2027 season, don’t fear: it’s just dye-free.

4. Oranges​

Yes, even our fruit is impacted by the dye bans. The exterior peel of Florida oranges are commonly dyed with Citrus Red 2 to give the fruit that signature summer glow. And there is a reason for it.

“It is a common practice to color the skins of oranges in certain orange growing areas of the country because of climatic or cultural conditions which cause the oranges to mature while still green in color,” the FDA notes. Therefore, all oranges on the marketplace meet the maturity standards to be sold, but some are dyed to be more appealing to the consumer’s eye. Don’t fear if you see some green oranges once the dye ban takes effect.

5. Canned Vegetables​

Canned vegetables can be a healthy, budget-friendly way to include more fiber on your plate. It’s important to know that your canned peas may not be as green once food dye Blue No. 1 is removed from retail. But don’t worry; they will be just as nutritious and taste exactly the same.


6. Preserved Fruit​

On a similar note, preserved fruit products like jams, jellies and marmalades may have various dyes depending on the fruit. Plus, dried fruits like papaya, mango, kiwi and more may contain food dyes like Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6 or Blue No. 1.

7. Yogurt​

It’s not just yogurt marketed at children that uses food dyes. Brands like Dannon Light + Fit and Yoplait perfect their yogurt’s hue with Red No. 40, Blue No. 1 or Yellow No. 6. You may find that the color of your strawberry Yoplait Light or key lime Light + Fit Greek yogurt might be toned down in the near future.

8. Drink Mixes and Electrolyte Drinks​

Various Gatorade, Powerade and Pedialyte flavors have dyes like Red No. 40 and Blue No. 1 on their ingredients lists. But something you may not consider is that water-dissolvable drink powders like Sunkist, Country Time, 4C, Kool-Aid and Crystal Light all contain food dyes to elevate the appearance of your sip. It may be harder to know when they’re fully dissolved once they’re dye-free, so give it an extra shake or stir before tasting.


9. Seasonings​

Some seasoning mixes, including Great Value’s Lemon & Pepper Seasoning, get their color from food dye, so the color will become more muted in your cooking once removed. But including fresh lemon, like slices on top of our highly-rated Grilled Lemon-Pepper Salmon in Foil, will help keep your dish vibrant.

10. Condiments and Sauces​

Alongside salad dressing, your refrigerator door may be taking a hit after the food dye ban is in full effect. Great Value’s Cocktail Sauce and Vlasic’s Sweet Relish are just two popular examples that use dyes like Red No. 40 and Yellow No. 5, respectively.

The Bottom Line​

There are a lot of foods on the market that contain dyes—but there is no significant data that shows that these dyes cause any sort of harm to the body. Unless it’s a personal preference, there’s no need to avoid these dyes up to the ban, but just remember that your groceries may have a different hue when these food dyes are removed from the ingredients.

“As a registered dietitian and health professional, I think one of the most important things food policy can do is increase access to healthy foods for all people,” explains Ball. “This makes it easier for folks to meet their nutritional needs, be fueled for regular exercise, nourish their families and more. Things like food access and accessible nutrition support are much more impactful and beneficial for health than avoiding food dyes.”
 
Most of that stuff I don't eat at all or in any kind of large quantity thankfully. what upsets me more is the oranges being dyed because people use orange zest in recipes so that can actually affect you and it's not something you would think of.
 
The article doesn't have the main reason for the decline. People weren't fooled by the claims of the "value" meals being offered as actually being values. McDonalds actually raised prices before proclaiming things values, and they pulled things out of their usual value deals (i.e. no Quarter Pounder in the "2 for" value offering) and penny conscious consumers saw through the con:

McDonald's on Thursday reported mixed quarterly results as its U.S. same-store sales fell for the second straight quarter, posting their largest domestic decline since the onset of the Covid pandemic.

McDonald's U.S. same-store sales shrank 3.6% as the chain faced bad weather and a more cautious consumer. That drop is the worst in McDonald's home market since the 8.7% plunge during the second quarter of 2020, when states imposed lockdowns to slow the spread of Covid.

Analysts surveyed by StreetAccount were expecting the company to report domestic same-store sales declines of 1.7% for the first quarter...

McDonald’s reports largest U.S. same-store sales decline since 2020
 
Microsoft is raising prices on its Xbox consoles, games, and accessories, marking a potential turning point after decades of deflation in the gaming industry—even as development costs have continued to rise. The move underscores mounting pressure on developers and publishers to restore margins, while new optimism for the industry builds ahead of this fall's release of the guaranteed mega-hit Grand Theft Auto 6.

The technology news website Engadget reports that Xbox consoles and games will see price hikes this year. This means Xbox Series S will start at $380, up from the previous price of $300. The Series X console will be priced at $550, a $100 increase.

For Xbox video games, the average price for AAA-rated games is expected to rise to $80...

Microsoft Will Raise Xbox Console, Game Prices To Break Deflationary Spiral
 
Using this version of the story for the multiple tweets in the story (Bloomberg, NY Post, WSJ), not for the author's work, so I won't include a selected quote:




Kohl’s CEO Fired Over “Unethical Behavior”
Wow that is a huge deal.
I agree with the first comment by a reader that says they used to shop there a lot but haven't found a single thing to buy there in a long time. I can't even tell you the last time I went there. Yes those percent off coupons that never applied to anything I wanted to buy were very annoying.
 
Wow that is a huge deal.
I agree with the first comment by a reader that says they used to shop there a lot but haven't found a single thing to buy there in a long time. I can't even tell you the last time I went there. Yes those percent off coupons that never applied to anything I wanted to buy were very annoying.


I have family members that shop there. They usually return with some version of "There was nothing. It was a complete waste of time.", and that's gotten worse since they started tossing the second store (Sephora) inside the Kohl's.
 
I don't know if this will affect anyone here, but I'll post it in case:



Temu on Friday said it has stopped shipments of cheap goods from China to the US as President Trump axed a trade loophole that allowed the fast-fashion giant to sidestep tariffs and customs checks.

Its US website has shifted to offer only what it calls “local” items – or products that were shipped overseas in bulk and stored in US warehouses in a mad dash to beat Trump’s tariffs.

“All sales in the US are now handled by locally based sellers, with orders fulfilled from within the country,” a Temu spokesperson told The Post in a statement...

Temu stops shipments from China as Trump axes trade loophole
 
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