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Ed Tech on the agenda By Lesley Fair Have you done your homework on Ed Tech? The FTC and the Department of Education have published the agenda for their joint Student Privacy and Ed Tech workshop scheduled for Friday, December 1, 2017. Read more > Depression Affects Every Age Group Depression affects people of all ages. Seniors can be affected by depression, even if they don't seem sad or down. Isolation, health concerns, financial burdens, and loneliness can be just a few of the factors that can lead to depression. Learn how to spot it and where to find the help needed to overcome depression.  Thank you for your patience while we work toward the development of new Job Alerts. We have developed a temporary solution that will allow you to pull up current job opportunities for the area(s) that you have subscribed. Clicking on the link below will take you to the current postings for GSA that are Open to the Public (All U.S. Citizens). GSA All Public Vacancies Thank you for your patience while we work toward the development of new Job Alerts. We have developed a temporary solution that will allow you to pull up current job opportunities for the area(s) that you have subscribed. Clicking on the link below will take you to the current postings for GSA open to Federal Employees and Special Appointment Eligibles. GSA All Status Vacancies Expanded Voluntary Recall for Casa Sanchez Foods "Real Guacamole" and to also Include “Spicy Guacamole” Because of Possible Health Risk Casa Sanchez Foods of Hayward, CA, is voluntarily recalling all "Real Guacamole" and “Spicy Guacamole” products out of an abundance of caution in keeping with the company’s commitment to protect the public health. The recall was necessitated by positive test results for Listeria monocytogenes on two packages out of many samples collected for the U. S. Food and Drug Administration random sample testing program. Some of this product is beyond the expiration date and is no longer available for salein stores. No illnesses are reported to date in association with the product recall. No consumer complaints have been received about the product. No other Casa Sanchez Foods products are being recalled.  Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause foodborne illness in a person who eats a food item contaminated with it. Symptoms of infection may include fever, muscle aches, gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. Casa Sanchez Foods Extiende El Retiro Voluntario Del " Real Guacamole " Para Incluir “Spicy Guacamole” Del Mercado Por Causa De Posible Riesgo Para La Salud Casa Sanchez Foods de Hayward, California, está retirando todo su "Real Guacamole" y “Spicy Guacamole” del mercado, por precaución de acuerdo con el compromiso de la compañía para proteger la salud pública. La retirada fue necesaria por los resultados de pruebas positivas para Listeria monocytogenes en dos paquetes de muchas muestras recogidas para el programa de pruebas de muestras aleatorias de la Administración de Drogas y Alimentos de EE. UU. Parte de este producto está más allá de la fecha de vencimiento y ya no está disponible para la venta en las tiendas. No se han reportado enfermedades hasta la fecha en relación con este producto. No se han recibido quejas del consumidor sobre el producto. Ningún otro producto de Casa Sanchez Foods está siendo retirado del mercado.  Listeria monocytogenes es un organismo que puede causar enfermedades transmitidas por los alimentos en una persona que come un alimento contaminado con él. Los síntomas de la infección pueden incluir fiebre, dolores musculares, síntomas gastrointestinales como náuseas o diarrea. Si se propaga al sistema nervioso, los síntomas pueden incluir dolor de cabeza, rigidez en el cuello o confusión. Florida-based Supplement Sellers Settle FTC False Advertising Charges Ads promised to fix everything from the common cold to HIV Three Venice, Florida-based companies and their owners have settled Federal Trade Commission charges that they deceptively marketed and sold dietary supplements to prevent or treat everything from the common cold to high blood pressure and HIV/AIDS. The court order settling the FTC’s complaint bars them from similar future misrepresentations and prevents them from using fake testimonials or certification seals. According to the FTC’s complaint, corporate defendants NextGen Nutritionals, Strictly Health, and Cyber Business Technology, and owners Anna McLean and Robert McLean, made false or unsubstantiated representations for five dietary supplements: 1) BioMazing HCG Full-Potency Weight-Loss Drops, 2) Hoodoba, 3) Fucoidan Force, 4) Immune Strong, and 5) VascuVite. Ads for the products appeared on a variety of websites the defendants operated. According to ads for the defendants’ BioMazing HCG supplement, the product contained the hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG), which would “signal the brain’s hypothalamus to burn current body fat stores.” Ads further claimed that product users would burn 1,500 to 4,000 calories of excess fat per day, leading to one to two pounds of weight loss daily. Ads for defendants’ Hoodoba diet pills claimed the product would suppress the appetite, and included supposed “real life success stories” from consumers who said they lost substantial weight, such as 100 pounds in six months, after using the product. The defendants also sold Fucoidan Force, containing wakame seaweed and reishi mushroom extract. Ads for the product claimed that it would fight cancer by causing cell death and reducing tumor size, and stop the spread of HIV/AIDs to people who are not infected and to healthy cells in people who are already infected. The product also was supposedly clinically proven to relieve symptoms of HIV and hepatitis, improve liver health by reducing fibrotic tissue, and lower cholesterol and high blood pressure. Immune Strong was touted as able to “super-charge your immune system” and “defeat the common cold, flu, viruses & deadly diseases.” It contained extracts from 19 plants. Citing “Rock-Solid Science,” the defendants claimed Immune Strong “works wonders” against cold, flu, and viruses, “reduces health-related time-off from work by a whopping 97%,” and fights ailments ranging from multiple sclerosis to HIV and cancer. Finally, the defendants marketed VascuVite, capsules containing a variety of plant extracts and minerals. Ads claimed that “Ingredients Supported by Scientific Studies” would “Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally, Now.”  This claim was enhanced by quotes from supposed “happy customers” testifying to significant decreases in blood pressure from use of VascuVite. The Commission’s complaint charges that the defendants’ weight-loss claims for BioMazing HCG and Hoodoba, the immune support and disease prevention and treatment claims for Fucoidan Force and Immune Strong, and the hypertension treatment claims for VascuVite, were false or unsubstantiated. The complaint also alleges that the defendants deceptively represented that consumer testimonials appearing in ads reflected the actual experience of consumers who used the products. In addition, according to the complaint, the defendants posted a “Certified Ethical Site” seal on several of their websites, which directed consumers to “click to verify.” Consumer who clicked on the seal were taken to another website claiming that defendants’ website had been verified as “ethical” and “trustworthy” by Ethical Site, “the most reliable evaluator of trust in the online marketplace.” The FTC alleged that Ethical Site was not an independent third-party certification program, but was in fact owned and controlled by defendants Anna and Robert McLean. The proposed court order setting the agency’s charges prohibits the defendants from making any of the seven “gut check” weight-loss claims that the FTC has publicly advised are always false when made for any dietary supplement, over-the-counter drug, or product applied to the skin. It also prohibits the defendants from making future weight loss and serious disease claims of the sort challenged in the complaint, unless the claims are supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence. The order further prohibits the defendants from misrepresenting the results of tests or studies, or the ingredients in any product. In addition, it forbids the company from using false testimonials or misrepresenting that any certification or seal has been provided by an independent entity who has verified the ads. The order imposes a judgment of $1,344,173, which will be partially suspended upon payment of $29,030, due to the defendants’ inability to pay. The Commission vote approving the complaint and proposed stipulated final order was 2-0. The complaint and proposed stipulated order setting the FTC’s charges were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida and settle the case against: 1) NextGen Nutritionals, LLC; 2) Strictly Health Corporation, LLC; 3) Cyber Business Technology, LLC; 4) Anna McLean, individually and as an officer of the corporate defendants; and 5) Robert McLean, individually and as an officer of the corporate defendants. NOTE: The Commission files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. Stipulated final injunctions/orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge. Officials from the U.S., Canada and Mexico Participate in 2017 Trilateral Meeting in Washington, D.C. to Discuss Antitrust Enforcement Antitrust agency heads from the United States, Canada and Mexico meet today at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC to discuss their ongoing work to ensure fair and effective antitrust enforcement and increased cooperation among the four nations. The meeting includes Federal Trade Commission Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, Canadian Commissioner of Competition John Pecman, and President Alejandra Palacios of the Mexican Federal Economic Competition Commission. The discussions will cover a wide range of topics including developments and priorities, antitrust and the digital economy, and future opportunities for cooperation and convergence on sound antitrust principles. “Maintaining and strengthening the already close bonds with our nearest partners is a key international priority,” said Federal Trade Commission Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen. “We have much in common with Canada's Competition Bureau and Mexico's COFECE, including reviewing mergers with cross-border effects and sharing approaches to competition advocacy. By working together to promote good competition policy globally, we benefit consumers in all of our countries.” “Today we welcome our close partners in antitrust enforcement from Canada and Mexico. Close cooperation and convergence around sound economic principles with our international partners is a key priority for the Antitrust Division,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim. “With increasingly interconnected markets, our working relationships with Mexico and Canada are strengthened through meetings like this, and further our efforts to effectively work together to block price fixing cartels that harm consumers, review cross-border transactions and prepare ourselves to tackle the policy challenges of tomorrow.” The 1995 cooperation agreement between the United States and Canada, the 1999 agreement between the United States and Mexico and the 2001 agreement between Canada and Mexico laid the foundation for these meetings. The agreements commit the agencies to coordinate and cooperate with each other in an effort to ensure the most consistent and effective antitrust enforcement. The Federal Trade Commission works with foreign governments to promote international cooperation and sound policy. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases and the FTC International Monthly for the latest FTC news and resources.