Consumer Confidential: ‘Lorax’ rakes in green; bogus fish sales

Here’s your walk-like-an-Egyptian Wednesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--How do you sell merchandise for a green movie? With green businesses, of course. The Lorax, perhaps the most famous anti-industrial crusader from children’s literature, is getting just such treatment. Universal Pictures will begin promoting “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” this month. The animated movie is about a creature who “speaks for the trees” and fights rampant industrialism. The studio’s nearly 70 launch partners -- including the Environmental Protection Agency and Whole Foods Market -- are seeking to latch on to the Lorax’s nature-friendly message. The EPA, for instance, is using the Lorax character to help promote low-power appliances that carry the Energy Star label. Hilton’s DoubleTree hotel chain is sponsoring a trip for four to eco-tourism mecca Costa Rica. Presumably a lot of greenbacks are also changing hands as part of the deals. (Associated Press)

--The label said “grouper.” Inside was catfish. And now a California firm, Seafood Solutions, has to pay $1 million in fines and community service payments for its role in the false labeling of frozen fish fillets. The company was fined $700,000 and ordered to make a community service donation of $300,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The money is to be used to fund projects related to methodologies, databases and other research into the identification of marine organisms. According to the plea agreements, Seafood Solutions sold a fish it declared to customs as “paradise grouper.” It was actually a species in the catfish family. (ConsumerAffairs.com)