Business

A good source of cheap food and a good reason not to floss: The Marketplace consumer cheat sheet

Not sure you caught all the biggest consumer and health news stories this week? Don't panic. Read the CBC's Marketplace roundup of what you might have missed.

Plus: Good news for some parents and what you need to know about your morning coffee

Want cupcakes for half price that need to be eaten soon? There's now an app for that. (Ubifood)

Not sure you caught all the biggest consumer and health news stories this week? Don't panic. Read CBC's Marketplace roundup of what you might have missed.

Want this in your inbox? Get the Marketplace newsletter every Friday.

No cupcake left behind

These cupcakes are good for the environment. Really.
Here are our problems:

1) We waste a lot of food.

2) We spend a lot on food.

3) We're hungry.

So here's the big idea: New businesses are letting us order meals and groceries that would otherwise be thrown away. (The food is a lot cheaper, too.) Win, win.

Food, locally grown, by robots

Now we just need a robot that can make us a salad. (FarmBot.io)
You know what gardening has always been missing? Robots.

But, thanks to science, you can now grow your own food without all that getting-your-hands-dirty stuff. The robots will even weed for you.

And, what's a robot farm without robot ponies?

Forget flossing

It was a controversial week in dental news. (Associated Press)
If that annual lecture from your dentist is a pain, we have a reason for you to smile. 

New research that made many jaws hit the floor this week found that flossing may not actually do anything to make your teeth healthier

You still totally have to brush though, until the robots get better at doing this for you, too.

The fight for flight rights

Canada lags behind some of our favourite travel destinations in air passenger rights. (CBC)
Even if you're not a 15-year-old left to sleep in the airport after being bumped from your flight, air travel is sometimes not the greatest.

So hearing that the government may amp up passenger rights is welcome news.

Not sure what your rights are when you fly? Here's our primer.

Child care, no waiting (fees)

Child on a toy reaching for a drum.
You don't have to pay to wait for a spot in Ontario. (CBC)
Finding good daycare can seem as hard as getting your kid to go to bed.

But now Ontario is becoming the first province to ban fees to get your kid on a waitlist. Big win for people with little ones.

If you're looking at unlicensed options, check out our investigation first.

On TV: What really happens when you recycle that coffee cup

There's something you need to know about your morning coffee. (CBC)
We love our coffee. But if you drop your cup in a recycling bin at Starbucks or Tim Hortons, do the companies really recycle them?

Spoiler alert: Not always.

We went dumpster diving to find answers. Watch it again on TV this weekend or watch online now.