Bisphenol-A is an endocrine disruptor that has been linked to various medical problems including cancer, reproductive problems, and other sickness. While BPA has been in the coating of receipts for a long time, it wasn’t until last year when an organic chemist discovered the receipts contained a lot more BPA then once thought. The chemist never officially published the results of his study but the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit group promoting green health just released the information about BPA-covered receipts. Additionally, the group took it a step farther and provided consumers with a list of companies passing out the most contaminated receipts.

At the top of the pile, McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) has the highest concentrations of BPA on a single receipt. Walmart (NYSE: WMT) and CVS Pharmacy (NYSE: CVS) also produce receipts that contain a significant amount of BPA. Surprisingly, at least one location of the organic Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI) chain was found to give out tainted receipts along with their healthy snacks. The testing overall showed that the amount of BPA in store receipts were higher than testing on other products including canned foods and bottled drinks.

The medical aspect of the spoiled receipts has not been tackled and experts do not know how much BPA enters a body after a person handles a receipt though it has been proven that BPA can be absorbed through the skin. Customers who handle a receipt coated with BPA can have the chemical be absorbed through the skin and anyone who handles a receipt and then eats or touches the mouth will ingest BPA. Consumers can decline receipts when appropriate and always be sure to wash hands before eating. Receipts should also be stored in a container away from other household items.

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According to a piece written by Corby Kummer in the Atlantic magazine, it appears Walmart may be helping small farms and local economies more than their competitor Whole Foods (WFMI). Whole Foods Market is also one of the world’s largest retailers, specializing in natural and organic foods. Despite the fact that Americans are showing an increased interest in where their food comes from and the quality of products going on the dinner table, the struggling economy has made it more difficult for some families to afford the high price tag associated with better quality foods. As a result, more consumers are turning toward the local discount giant, Walmart for lower priced groceries that are more affordable. In Kummer’s essay, he notes that he was surprised to discover the variety and quality of foods found at Walmart, as well as the fact that many of the products came from local farms. This lead to a discovery of a little known program called Heritage Agriculture offered by Walmart.

Through this program, local farms (within a day’s drive of Walmart warehouses) are encouraged to grow crops that otherwise would take days to truck in from out of state. This might prove to be a big boost for local farmers and economies as well, due to the fact that many small to medium sized farms are simply unable to compete with industrial farms. With a guaranteed buyer of their crops, these local farmers can focus on growing quality products that will be bought and consumed locally. Of course this benefits Walmart by giving them a larger piece of consumer spending. And at the end of the day, corporations must pay attention to the bottom line. It appears even if Walmart has to pay slightly higher prices to buy locally grown food, versus buying from large industrial farms, they save money on transportation and other costs associated with buying from non-local farmers. If those savings can be passed on to you and your family, while supporting the local economy- it could be a win-win situation.

Walmart To Help Local Economies (NYSE: WMT) was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

The image of the local grocery store as a place for check processing and, cashing payroll and personal checks is fading. In this age of direct deposit and debit cards it seems outdated, even irrelevant. These days check processing is seen as a time consuming and expensive service. The rise in check fraud may also be a contributing factor. The check approval process in most grocery stores and other retail stores for that matter, is getting longer as a result. It makes it more inconvenient for those waiting in line as well.

Making such a move does carry risks. Each time a company takes away a service they risk alienating and losing customers. It does seem that a wide spread move by the grocery industry to ban personal checks wouldn’t upset most of their other customers. For the store, debit cards are more convenient; it comes right out of the customer’s account. It saves the customer time and effort of writing a check. Still there are some customers who feel the act of physically writing the check makes it more real and thereby an easier way to keep costs down and to keep track.

Whole Foods remains convinced it would improve service. They say most customers already pay with cash or debit card . The pilot program is intended to see if personal check users will switch to debit or other forms of payment. The biggest advantage for grocery stores is a savings in labor and processing.

While it may make sense for the retailer as a way to keep costs down, and even for those in line behind them, one has to wonder what kind of effect it will have on the older consumer who prefers paper records. What about the consumer who thinks of their local grocer as a trusted friend? Will they feel alienated if, after years they no longer have the privilege of cashing payroll checks with them or writing personal checks to purchase items from the store? With businesses closing right and left wouldn’t grocery stores want to keep customers, even offering them extras to stay, instead of taking away services? Only time will tell. If the pilot program does well look for others in the industry to follow suit soon.

Whole Foods Grocery Stores Considering a Ban on Personal Check Use was created by and is property of American Consumer News.