Americans across the nation were glued to the television today- and not just to catch the newest, "Guiding Light." For us, the presidential inauguration always brings a sense of renewal, but this year, its not just foreign policy and taxation that will be taking the front seat on the list of our country's issues, but consumer affairs will also be in the spotlight at debates.
The first issues to be tackled? Behavioral advertising, stricter food and drug laws, and consumer safety. Consumers will see a shift in advertising, a notice a drop in the number of advertisers allowed to use terms such as "green, carbon footprint," and other similar phrases we have been bombarded with in the past year that advertisers use to make us believe their products are saving Mother Earth. Companies will have to back-up these claims in order to use such phrases when advertising their products.
As we have seen in the past few weeks especially, food and safety laws will need to meet higher standards and guidelines, especially in reference to products that come in contact with meat and poultry. Finally, what we have all been waiting for- consumer product safety will show up third in Obama's list of consumer protection. Civil and penalty actions have been fore-casted to increase in the next few years, and fines raised.
-Contributed by Alicia Butler
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