By Oyiza Adaba, New York

How well are you protected as a consumer, given the vast array of products you consume everyday? In this special report, Oyiza Adaba, examines Consumer Reports America, an 87 year-old non-profit institution that has been championing consumer rights - from food to flying cars.

Yonkers, New York  is approximately 30 minutes from Midtown Manhattan. It is the hometown of Denzel Washington and Consumer Reports, an 87-year old independent non-profit organization in the United States that has a long history of working to advance truth, transparency, and fairness in the marketplace. With its independent, evidence-based research and testing, Consumer Reports empowers and informs consumers, incentivizes corporations to act responsibly, and helps policymakers prioritize the rights and interests of consumers in order to shape a consumer-driven marketplace.

This exclusive opportunity was for Foreign Press members to be briefed by Marta L. Tellado, President & CEO, Consumer Reports, and discussed consumer behaviors and how Consumer Reports informs consumer decisions. Ms. Tellado who has led America’s foremost consumer organization since 2014 and also explained how Consumer Reports is working to ensure a consumer-first approach to AI and the advocacy programs that help consumers can feel transparency, accuracy, and fairness 

Other briefers were Lilian Kayizzi, Vice President of Research, Testing and Insights, Consumer Reports, who explained the depth of research by the organization. Jake Fisher,  a Senior Director, Auto Test Center, gave insights to the Connecticut Testing 327-acre site, which is the largest independent automotive test site devoted to consumer interests.

The Briefers

The TOUR

Visiting journalists got an opportunity to tour CR’s consumer product and service testing center that houses over 60 state-of-the-art labs with over 130 researchers, scientists, engineers, and testing experts. In the coming fiscal year, CR expects to spend more than $30 million to test, rate, and review 9,000+ products and services. The tour included the following stops:

Auto Demonstration: A first-hand look at what drivers can and cannot see behind the wheel in some of America's most popular SUVs and trucks. Being 5.1, I proved the perfect candidate for this demo

 Robotic Vacuum Lab: How well robotic vacuums perform at simple tasks like cleaning carpets and floors, and the data the machines collect about your home.

Rec Lab: Bike helmets are supposed to protect your head, but we'll show you how not all are created equal. Plus, experience the CR-invented machine that tests how long treadmills are supposed to last.

My colleagues  and I spent some time quizzing the team at the video doorbell lab where CR uncovered that popular video doorbells could be hacked by a young child.

In an era where fake products have flooded global trade, the agency continues to operate alongside global counterparts across various exchange platforms to ensure uniformity of vision.. The question now is, how does your country's consumer protection agency function? Do they live up to their name and objective of 'protecting the consumer'?

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