Consumers Union of the United States
The Consumers Union of the United States is a nonprofit organization founded in 1936, primarily recognized for its consumer advocacy and product testing services. Established by Arthur Kallet and his colleagues, who sought to expand upon the work of Consumers' Research, it emerged as a response to the need for unbiased evaluations of everyday products. The organization gained prominence through its publication, *Consumer Reports*, which provides objective ratings and assessments of a wide range of consumer goods, including cars and household appliances.
Throughout its history, Consumers Union emphasized testing products purchased independently rather than those donated by manufacturers, which helped maintain its credibility and objectivity. The organization played a significant role in advocating for consumer protection, notably influencing the passage of the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, which established federal oversight of product safety. By delivering science-based information, Consumers Union empowers consumers to make informed decisions and contextualize advertising claims. Even into the twenty-first century, it remains a vital resource for consumers seeking reliable information to navigate the complexities of product safety and quality in the marketplace.
Consumers Union of the United States
Identification Nonprofit consumer testing and information organization
Also known as Consumers Union
Date Established February, 1936
Building on the groundbreaking work of the earlier Consumers’ Research organization, the Consumers Union of the United States encouraged consumers to challenge the claims of manufacturers and their advertisers. Its magazine, Consumers Union Reports(later known as Consumer Reports), was founded in May, 1936, and reports the results of product tests.
The Consumers Union of the United States was established in 1936 by Arthur Kallet and other former employees of Consumers’ Research, which began work in 1929. Kallet and Frederick John Schlink, founder of Consumers’ Research, published a 1933 book titled 100,000,000 Guinea Pigs: Dangers in Everyday Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics. Consumers’ Research was testing consumer products, but many of its researchers felt that the group should pay higher salaries, allow workers to unionize, and expand testing and reporting. Until the 1980’s, Consumers Union and Consumers’ Research were rivals. Both were independent, nonprofit laboratories, uncovering hidden dangers in food, cosmetic, and drug products and testing advertisers’ claims against scientific reality.
During the 1930’s, Consumers Union, after making the decision to test only products purchased rather than those donated by manufacturers, focused on small, inexpensive items. As donated funding and revenue from magazine subscribers increased, so did the budget for purchasing products and developing high-tech laboratories. Into the twenty-first century, Consumer Reports remained a well-known source of information and was relied on by consumers for its objective ratings of cars, major appliances, and smaller household items.
Impact
In 1938, influenced by 100,000,000 Guinea Pigs and by the work of consumer groups, Congress passed the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, launching federal oversight of product safety. Consumers Union empowered consumers by giving them unbiased, science-based information about the everyday products in their homes, enabling them to ignore or put into appropriate context the claims of advertisers. During the 1930’s and for decades afterward, before the Internet enabled consumers to exchange information about products more easily, the reports issued by Consumers Union and other such groups provided the only access to such information.
Bibliography
Florman, Monte. Testing: Behind the Scenes at“Consumer Reports,” 1936-1986. Mount Vernon, N.Y.: Consumers Union, 1986.
Manion, Kevin P. Consumer Reports. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia, 2005.
Mayer, Robert N. The Consumer Movement: Guardians of the Marketplace. Boston: Twayne, 1989.