Business

Good news about butter: CBC's Marketplace consumer cheat sheet

Miss something this week? Here's the consumer news you need to know from CBC's Marketplace.

Also, fake Hip merch, and this week in flight woes

The belief that saturated fat in foods such as butter, cheese and meat clogs arteries is "just plain wrong," say doctors. (Brian Higgins/CBC)

Miss something this week? Here's the consumer news you need to know from CBC's Marketplace.

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Very un-hip

Tragically Hip fans are being warned about counterfeit merchandise claiming to help charity. (Chad Hipolito/Canadian Press)
If you bought Tragically Hip merchandise online to show support of the band and raise cash to help fight brain cancer, we may have some bad news. It may not be legit.

Hip guitarist Rob Baker tweeted about the fakes this week, and urged fans to be wary of fraudsters. 

What insurance doesn't cover

Wendy Soczek's husband sprayed her with gasoline and lit her on fire. Her insurance company initially refused to cover the damage to her home. (Rachel Houlihan/CBC)
Wendy Soczek survived after her husband set her on fire. But then insurance wouldn't cover damage to the home.

It's not the first story about how insurance rules can mean a real disadvantage to people in situations of domestic violence.

After Soczek's story was published, the insurance company offered to settle

Good news about butter ...

Some cardiologists want to make something clear: Saturated fat does not clog your arteries, cause heart disease or give you Type 2 diabetes. Cheese. Steak. Butter. It's all OK, they say.

Docs say your best bet for heart health is laying off refined carbs, going for walks and checking your stress level. The findings about saturated fats remain controversial, but they've concluded there is no proven link to heart disease.

... but bad news about your sushi

Sushi, ceviche, tartare: Delicious, right? Except there's a catch: parasitic worms. Reported cases in B.C. are at an all-time high, and many cases go unreported because worms can incubate in your gut for up to six months.

If this isn't traumatizing enough, there's some video of all of this.

Wave hello! This anasakis or herring worm emerged from a piece of poached cod.

8 years ago
Duration 0:45
Fish parasites are common in B.C. fish, especially salmon.

This week in flight woes

One woman was barred from boarding an Air Canada flight after her family were already in their seats. And then her family got kicked off too. Also, a giant rabbit died on a United flight.

After weeks of criticism, United upped its compensation limit for bumped passengers to $10,000 US and said it would overbook less frequently. But we'll just wait quietly for a passenger bill of rights. 

What else is going on?

Bad news, Toronto commuters: The air in the subway is bad.

Your kitchen cupboard may be getting more Canadian: Billy Bee honey and French's ketchup both announced that the products they sell in Canada will be made here, too.

Energy drinks are generally full of caffeine, but even the other, non-caffeine ingredients may affect your heart.

And this week in recalls: these pie shells, these dressers and night tables, and these baby carriers

The celebrity sell

There are thousands of celeb selfies on social media, just loving life and enjoying their favourite brands. But are those pics paid endorsements? It's not always clear.

Last week, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission smacked a bunch of celebrities with letters warning about the practice. Watch our investigation on the new world of social ads online now