Is the steak you buy as safe as you think? We're taking a sharp look at a little-known process which could affect what you eat. It's a common industry practice that makes steaks and roasts tender, but critics say it can also make beef more susceptible to bacterial contamination. Tom Harrington puts beef to the test, shows you the risks, and reveals what you're not being told.
1. Ask your butcher or store clerk if your steak or beef roast has been mechanically tenderized.
2. If they say yes or are uncertain, cook your steak or roast thoroughly - like you would cook ground beef.
3. Use a digital thermometer to ensure safe internal temperature of 71°C.
4. Keep raw meats separate from other foods when you store them.
5. Keep knives, cutting boards and counters clean.
producer
TIFFANY FOXCROFT
host
TOM HARRINGTON
senior researcher
MARLENE McARDLE
editor
DON CHUNG
additional field producer
JEANNIE STIGLIC
additional editing
BRIDGET CASCONE
ALAN JONES
SIMON PARUBCHAK
digitizer
CHARLES FOGEL
camera
NORM ARNOLD
PAUL SEELER
MICHAEL SWEENY
PETER ZIN
sound
LARRY KENT
ROBERT KRBAVAC
MARV POLANSKI
MARY WONG
sound mix
MIKE BROWN
colourist
PETER JORGENSEN
graphics
JOHN VEGTER
associate web producer
SANGEETA PATEL
When it's time to get our teeth checked, most of us trust our dentist to determine the treatment plan and how much it will cost. They are the experts, aren't they?
Co-host Erica Johnson puts dentists to the test: how does one know for sure what work needs to be done and how much it should cost? We reveal that dentists themselves can't even agree.
In "Money Where Your Mouth Is," Marketplace sends a researcher with hidden cameras to 20 different dentists in Toronto and Vancouver. We want to know: what treatments are recommended for her pearly whites? We discover a wide variation in treatments and costs. It seems dentistry is not that black and white after all -- there are various shades of grey. Marketplace wants to know why -- to get answers for the millions of Canadians who visit their dentist every year.
1. The best way to find a good dentist you can trust and like is by word-of-mouth. Ask friends, family and colleagues about their dentist and their dentist's approach.
2. Your first visit to a new dentist is crucial. A new dentist may be more inclined to treat more aggressively rather than taking a wait-and-see approach.
3. Ask what kind of philosophy a dentist or dental practice has: conservative or more aggressive.
4. If your dentist suggests a treatment and you have any doubt, ask questions. Ask them to show you and explain why it should be done and how it will be done.
5. Make sure your dentist explains the difference between necessary procedures and cosmetic or optional procedures.
6. If a dentist is reluctant to suggest a treatment plan without first seeing your insurance coverage, that could be a red flag.
Oral Health Statistics (2007-2009) from the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) - Statistics Canada, Health Canada, Department of National Defence
WHO'S GOT COVERAGE
62% Have private dental insurance
6% have public insurance
32% have no dental insurance
VISITING A DENTAL PROFESSIONAL
74% have seen a dental professional in the last year.
17% avoided visiting a dental professional in the last year because of the cost.
16% avoided having the full range of recommended treatment due to the cost in the last year.
NEEDING TREATMENT
34% of Canadians ages 6-79 years of age (who have teeth) had some sort of treatment need identified by the dentists.
TIME LOST
About 2.26 million school-days and 4.15 million working-days are lost every year due to dental visits or dental sick-days.
CAVITIES
57% of 6-11 year olds have or have had a cavity.
59% of 12-19 year olds have or have had a cavity.
The average number of teeth affected by decay in children aged 6-11 and 12-19 year olds is 2.5.
Although cavities are largely preventable, 96% of adults have a history of cavities.
6% of adult Canadians no longer have any natural teeth.
21% of adults with teeth have, or have had, a moderate or a severe gum problem.
TAKING CARE OF THOSE PEARLY WHITES
73% of Canadians brush twice a day
28% floss at least 5 times a week
For more information visit the Health Canada site.
In order to compare dentists' recommendations, we looked at the documents given to Theresa by dentists, including formal treatment plans, notes provided by the dentist and we also took into consideration what she was told during her visit.
Baseline Dental Plan provided by University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry (pdf, 1.66 MB)
Dental Plan A (pdf, 209 kB)
Dental Plan B (pdf, 238 kB)
Dental Plan C (pdf, 265 kB)
Dental Plan D (pdf, 375 kB)
Dental Plan E (pdf, 940 kB)
Dental Plan F (pdf, 320 kB)
Dental Plan G (pdf, 313 kB)
Dental Plan H (pdf, 301 kB)
Dental Plan I (pdf, 246 kB)
Dental Plan J (pdf, 139 kB)
Dental Plan K (pdf, 751 kB)
Dental Plan L (pdf, 650 kB)
Dental Plan M (pdf, 502 kB)
Dental Plan N (pdf, 131 kB)
Dental Plan O (pdf, 316 kB)
Dental Plan P (pdf, 444 kB)
Dental Plan Q (pdf, 768 kB)
Dental Plan R (pdf, 133 kB)
Dental Plan S (pdf, 154 kB)
From statement provided by the Ontario Dental Association:
"...The ODA wants to assure CBC and patients that the dentists in Ontario are committed to serving the patients of this province to the highest ethical and professional standards. Dentists will continue to work with their patients to ensure they receive the care they need when they need it."
Courtney Sorger
Manager, Public Affairs & Communications
From statement provided by the British Colombia Dental Association:
"...We wish to reassure dental patients that BC dentists place great importance on ethical procedures in the interest of promoting the highest level of dental care."
Susan Boyd
Manager, Communications
First Broadcast: March 31, 1998
Studies show we trust dentists more than almost any other professionals. But improvements in dental care have meant less work for dentists to do, even as the number of dentists is increasing. This has lead to growing concern about dental fraud, in which dentists might bill for work that is not necessary.
Marketplace examines the issue, and reveals the results of an undercover survey carried out over the last two months. A Marketplace journalist visited 50 dentists in seven Canadian cities asking each dentist what needed to be done with her teeth. The responses ranged from nothing to over $9,000 of dental work.
producer
GREG SADLER
host
ERICA JOHNSON
senior researcher
MARLENE McARDLE
additional research
THERESA O'LEARY
editor
DON CHUNG
additional editing
SIMON PARUBCHAK
camera
NORM ARNOLD
RICHARD AGECOUTAY
CHRIS ANAKA
GREG BRUCE
DEREK HOOPER
sound
LARRY KENT
sound mix
MIKE BROWN
colourist
PETER JORGENSEN
graphics
JOHN VEGTER
associate web producer
SANGEETA PATEL
web producer
ROBERT BALLANTYNE
In four decades of Marketplace, we've come across a lot of products - and a lot of pitchmen - that proved to be too good to be true.
We're revisiting three of the most outrageous stories, and the people behind them: from an outrageous inventor pitching a $20,000 electronic cure-all; to guarantees of a job in a troubled economy; to a juice marketed as a miracle in a bottle.
Where are they now?
producer
JEANNIE STIGLIC
host
TOM HARRINGTON
additional research
MARLENE McARDLE
editor
ALAN JONES
sound mix
MIKE BROWN
colourist
PETER JORGENSEN
graphics
RON SLOAN
associate web producer
SANGEETA PATEL
web producer
ROBERT BALLANTYNE
MIRACLE MAKERS OR MONEY TAKERS?
producer
CATHERINE CLARK
host
ERICA JOHNSON
senior researcher
MARLENE McARDLE
editor
DON CHUNG
camera
NORM ARNOLD
GEORGE LASZUK
KEITH MARTIN
NEITH MACDONALD
MIKE MCARTHUR
AL STEWART
CHRISTER WAARA
sound
PETER CRACKNELL
BRUCE DIERICK
KARNDEEP JASSAL
additional shooting
ENZA UDA
JENNIFER LEASK
translator/fixer
LASZLO KISS
RECRUITMENT RIP-OFF?
producer
VIRGINIA SMART
host
TOM HARRINGTON
associate producer
SANGEETA PATEL
senior researcher
MARLENE McARDLE
additional research
ELIZABETH COOK
intern
NIKISHA SINGH
editor
AILEEN MCBRIDE
additional editing
MANMEET AHLUWALIA
camera
NORM ARNOLD
NEITH MacDONALD
additional camera
PETER KYNE
sound
KARNDEEP JASSAL
LEONARD FISHER
LARRY KENT
MICHAEL COLE
lighting director
BRAD DICKSON
tv assistant
KYLE PEARLMAN
sound mix
MIKE BROWN
colourist
PETER JORGENSEN
graphics
KARI MINCHIN
GETTING JUICED
producer
KATHLEEN COUGHLIN
host
WENDY MESLEY
field producers
NORA PRATT
STEPHANIE KAMPF
senior researcher
MARLENE McARDLE
editor
ROBERT MEGNA
camera
NEITH MACDONALD
DANNY COOK
BOB CARR
sound
MARY WONG
KARNDEEP JASSAL
AARON CHANDLER
Buying a new car can be a gamble: you could end up landing a lemon. So what happens if you buy a faulty car that just can't be fixed?
After hearing from car owners across the country who claimed they bought a lemon, Erica Johnson goes searching for answers. She discovers just how difficult it is for owners to get help - from dealerships and from automakers.
And she reveals a possible solution on the other side of the border: lemon laws that protect owners from getting squeezed when something goes wrong.
Plus - Erica Johnson takes a closer look at Apple's latest smartphone. Is it as consumer-friendly as it claims? Check out this week's Busted!
So you think you may have bought a lemon? Here are some strategies and resources that might help.
"Lemons" are vehicles with a recurring manufacturer's defect that affects their safety, use, or value. Canada does not have lemon laws that cover new cars, unlike the United States.
1. If you think your new car is a lemon, the first thing you should do is contact your dealer (copy the automaker on any emails); the sooner you report problems, the quicker they can be diagnosed and repaired.
2. Keep all of your documentation regarding repairs; append a copy of your email to the Work Order. List specific symptoms and times problem has been reported and what was done. Ask for your copy of the Work Order to retain as evidence of multiple visits.
3. Build a 'paper trail' of documentation regarding incidents of failure, repairs, maintenance, extra costs, and inconvenience.
4. Talk with the service manager or a general manager at the dealership and see if the dispute can be resolved at that level.
5. If the dealer is unable to diagnose a problem and there is no satisfactory response at that level, contact the manufacturer.
6. Visit an independent garage for diagnosis and estimate, even if you have to pay. In Greater Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal, the Automotive Protection Agency (APA) can refer you to a mechanic for an independent report.
7. If an independent mechanic supports your claim, send the diagnosis and estimate to the dealer and automaker for review and corrective repairs - request it to be completed within five days.
8. If your car is still not fixed and your vehicle was made in the last four years, you may want to consider pursuing action through the Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan (CAMVAP). You may also want to consider pursuing action through the Small Claims Court.
NOTE: Consumers must choose between CAMVAP or a civil action; aside from an appeal, a consumer cannot commence a civil action after CAMVAP has rendered a decision.
Read the Automotive Protection Association's "Advice for consumers planning to use CAMVAP".
9. Phil Edmonston also has tips on a "Secret Warranty" that may cover your vehicle. Visit his website to see if your car will qualify.
If you buy a new car and it turns out to be a lemon in Canada, here's where you can turn:
Small Claims Courts: According to car expert Phil Edmonston, Small Claims Court can be a "cheap, quick, informal, and final" process. Some jurisdictions may award up to $25,000.
CAMVAP: If your car was made in the past four years, and it's faulty and all attempts to fix it aren't working - you may want to consider pursuing action through the Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan (CAMVAP). CAMVAP is available to owners and lessees of both new and used vehicles. It's an arbitration program that can help you resolve disputes with an automobile manufacturer about defects in manufacturing, or in the interpretation of the manufacturer's warranty.
CAMVAP is available in every province: your case will come before an independent arbitrator who will review the facts and then make a ruling. But it could go either way - in your favour or in the car dealer/manufacturer's favour. An arbitrator can order the manufacturer to repair your vehicle at the carmaker's expense, buy your vehicle back, or reimburse you for repairs that you have paid for already. It can also reimburse you for out-of-pocket expenses. However, the arbitrator may also decide that the manufacturer is not responsible.
All decisions are binding and cannot be contested. If you are unhappy with the arbitrator's decision the process is generally over. In a very limited set of circumstances (for example certain procedural errors made by the arbitrator) you may be able to consult a lawyer and pursue further action in a court of law.
Note: Not all vehicles qualify under CAMVAP arbitration. For more information on CAMVAP, including a list of participating manufacturers, please visit their website.
Transport Canada: If the vehicle has had a safety-related failure, Transport Canada may investigate. Their investigation may result in a recall campaign or give you added information to use in arbitration or small claims court.
Car Help Canada: This is a non-profit organization that helps consumers deal with their automotive issues for a small membership fee.
Resources include: accurate new vehicle pricing information, dealership referrals, listing of honest and reliable repair shops, advice concerning vehicle ownership, reports on current consumer issues, vehicle reviews from a consumer's perspective and legal advice.
Automobile Protection Association: initiated in 1969 by Phil Edmonston, it is a non-profit organization that provides information and assistance to consumers for a small membership fee.
It offers consumers new vehicle reviews, confidential pricing information and dealership referrals. APA can refer you to a recommended repair expert for a second opinion.
You may also want to read the Automotive Protection Association's "Advice for consumers planning to use CAMVAP"
The following statement from Chrysler Canada was provided to Marketplace in response to our investigation:
RECEIVED SEPTEMBER 13, 2012
"Dodge Journey has consistently been the #1-selling Crossover in Canada since its launch in 2008. It was awarded the best new CUV under $35,000 by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) and received a 2012 Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. We appreciate and value all of our customers and work diligently with them, to resolve any issues that may occur.
We realize that service of an intermittent condition can become frustrating to both the vehicle owner and the servicing dealer. We worked extensively with the customer and dealer in this case to alleviate any inconveniences and to resolve the vehicle issue. Our assessment confirms that the vehicle exceeds all applicable safety standards."
Norman E. Taylor is a lawyer specializing in California lemon law. He breaks down the law in "Lemon Law: The Standard Reference Guide". Here's his brief history of lemon laws throughout the United States:
In the Beginning There Was Commercial Chaos
There have always been those who would sell you an ox cart made from rotting wood with wheels shaped like footballs. Warranty law is by no means a new thing, but it has been slow in developing.
1906: The Uniform Sales Act
When the United States broke away from England, they kept her legal system. Even today, forty-nine of the fifty states base their laws on the old English common law. (Louisiana bases its legal system on a blend of English common law and French civil law.) Still, each state's laws are different.
The Uniform Sales Act of 1906 was an attempt to regulate commerce in the United States. This was the time of the great robber barons who banded together to monopolize commodities in their area so that they could manipulate prices and profits. There was great need for regulation.
The Uniform Sales Act was one of several uniform laws intended to minimize the differences in laws between the states. Each state had the option to write its own statutes, adopting all, some, or none of each uniform act to fit the particular state. The hope was that, where several states enacted the same provision of a uniform act, their interpretations of that provision would be consistent.
1952: A Uniform Commercial Code (U.C.C.)
Eventually the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws realized there was a need to update the existing statutes. In 1940, the president of the conference first proposed the idea of a Uniform Commercial Code to replace seven of the older uniform acts, including the Uniform Sales Act, and to bring the laws of commerce up to date.
The U.C.C.'s focus on commercial transactions seriously limits its use to consumers.
The first official U.C.C. emerged in 1952, after more than ten years of drafting and revisions. Substantial revisions and amendments followed over the next several years, until finally in 1961 the National Conference decided to establish a Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. The board released its official text of the U.C.C. in 1962. Since then, forty-nine states have enacted some form of the U.C.C.-all except Louisiana.
The purpose of the U.C.C. was to simplify, clarify, and modernize the law governing commerce and trade, and to standardize commercial law among the various states. Thus, the U.C.C. applies primarily to commercial transactions between commercial parties.
The U.C.C. was not designed for consumers as much as it was for merchants. It does not take into account the unique realities of consumer purchases. It does not provide sufficient protection for consumers. California was one of the first states to address this problem, and to this day California still has one of the country's strongest lemon laws.
1970: Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act
Laws that benefit the individual inevitably come under attack by corporate interests. Somewhere between the needs of both there is fairness.
Under California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, manufacturers are entitled only to a reasonable number of attempts to repair defective consumer goods. If manufacturers or their agents are unsuccessful, they must either replace the goods or refund the purchase price. This is the basic remedy that nearly all lemon laws now provide.
The Song-Beverly Act is also meant to make it economically viable for consumers to bring warranty suits, by providing for an award of attorneys' fees. The law bears the name of its authors in the California legislature, Alfred H. Song and Robert G. Beverly.
Without the lemon law, Mr. and Mrs. Jones were in a David and Goliath contest where all the weapons favored Goliath.
1975: Federal Lemon Law
The great equalizer: courts could compel manufacturers to reimburse attorneys' fees.
In 1975, Congress enacted the Magnuson-Moss Warranty-Federal Trade Commission Improvement Act. While it was not as effective as California's Song-Beverly Act, the federal Magnuson-Moss Act did attempt to encourage warrantors to provide better warranties. It also included a provision allowing-but not requiring-courts to award attorneys' fees to consumers who had to file lawsuits to enforce warranties.
Congress established guidelines for mechanisms to attempt to resolve warranty disputes without litigation. California later added similar guidelines to the Song-Beverly Act, and other states have also followed suit.
1982: The Tanner Consumer Protection Act
Substantial impairment to use, value, or safety is defined.
California Assemblywoman Sally Tanner first introduced this key measure in 1980. The Tanner Act is part of the Song-Beverly Act, but its provisions apply specifically to motor vehicles. The law defines guidelines for a reasonable number of repair attempts. It also defines nonconformity to mean a nonconformity that substantially impairs the use, value, or safety of the motor vehicle to the buyer or lessee.
The Tanner Act has become the model for lemon laws in other states. Today, all fifty states have enacted lemon laws. It is no accident that all of these state legislatures, as well as Congress, have found it necessary to protect citizens in this way.
1991: Automotive Consumer Notification Act
California was at the cutting edge of consumer advocacy again.
This Act was added to California's lemon law to reduce what is known as lemon laundering. Some auto manufacturers were trying to resell the lemons they repurchased to unsuspecting used car buyers. To prevent this, manufacturers are now required to brand the titles of defective vehicles to indicate that they are lemon law buybacks.
Before reselling a lemon law buyback, manufacturers are required to do the following:
» Submit the vehicle's title to the Department of Motor Vehicles for branding
» Affix a permanent decal to the vehicle itself, indicating that it was a lemon law buyback
» ;Disclose that the vehicle was repurchased due to defects
» Disclose what repairs were performed to correct the defects
» Provide a one-year warranty to the next consumer
This addition to the law was particularly needed when a consumer was purchasing a used vehicle that the dealer asserted was free of defects. The consumer might never discover that the vehicle had been declared a lemon in another state and then shipped to California for resale.
The use of "lemon" to describe something unsatisfactory, inferior, or worthless originated in the U.S. The Oxford English Dictionary tracks its first appearance in print to 1909.
At this time the phrase "the answer's a lemon" commonly referred to an outcome that was unsatisfactory.
The Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms explains: "A lemon here is used to represent a bad, unsatisfactory, or disappointing thing, possibly because the lemon is the least valuable symbol that can be achieved by playing a fruit machine."
TheOxford Dictionary of Word Origins adds: "lemon [ME] The root of lemon and also lime [M17th] is an Arabic word, lim, that was a collective term for citrus fruit. On fruit machines the lemon is the least valuable symbol, and this may be behind the answer is a lemon 'the response or outcome is unsatisfactory'. Especially in the USA, a lemon may be a substandard or defective car, of the type all too often bought from shady used-car dealers."
producer
YVETTE LANG
host
ERICA JOHNSON
associate producers
ANNIE BURNS-PIEPER
TYANA GRUNDIG
editor
NAOMI ROBINSON
camera
NORM ARNOLD
additional camera
RICHARD AGECOUTAY
ROSS LUCKOW
sound
ROBERT KRBAVAC
ROB WEBER
sound mix
MIKE BROWN
colourist
PETER JORGENSEN
graphics
RON SLOAN
BUSTED: iPhone 5
producer
NELISHA VELLANI
host
ERICA JOHNSON
associate producer
NATHAN CROCKER
editor
NANCY DIMENNA
camera
NORM ARNOLD
JOHN BADCOCK
sound
STEVE McNAMEE
sound mix
MIKE BROWN
associate web producer
SANGEETA PATEL
web producer
ROBERT BALLANTYNE
