Background: With our corporate lunches this week at work, we each received a free sample packet containing two pieces (or "mint pellets" as they were enticingly described) of Colgate's new "Dental Gum". I was about to try the proffered freebies when a little voice in my head cried "Don't drink the Kool-Aid!", so I threw the packet in the bin immediately. And the same with the next day's. After all, what better way for shadowy government operatives to dose the population with pacifying, mind-numbing sedatives (other than broadcasting them on Saturday night)?

Then I thought better, fished it out of the bin (briefly) and sent the following query via Colgate's web site (warning: may crash your browser - nice one, Colgate!):

Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 14:31:07 +0000
From: Adrian Rixon
Subject: Colgate Dental Gum

Dear Colgate,

I recently received a small sachet containing two pieces of Colgate Dental
Gum with my company lunch. As the sachet carried a warning that said
"Please dispose of packet & gum carefully", I threw the unopened packet
into the waste bin immediately. Am I being sufficiently careful or are
there still dangers remaining in this method of disposal?

Regards,
Ade Rixon

See the reply from Colgate-Palmolive!>
<Back to Consumer in Crisis