As head of a special congressional committee investigating private and public agencies that purport to protect the consumer, New York Congressman Benjamin Rosenthal took special interest in the Good Housekeeping seal.
Although conferral of the seal is supposed to be based on objective testing of a product, Rosenthal's investigation found the award to be as much an advertising gimmick as a guarantee to consumers. The legislator contends that the main criterion for granting the seal is whether a manufacturer agrees to place his advertising in Good Housekeeping magazine. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration has seized as "contraband" for quality and...