I'm trying to find information on both practices, but I'm not having much luck. I'm also tired.

And ground spices, as well. Unscrupulous suppliers adulterate lentils with small pebbles, spices with wood pulp.

There was a market in my neighborhood where I'd buy coffee beans - you'd dispense your own quantity from a bin with a drop-down spout - place the paper bag over the spout, lift the lever controlling the trap door, stop when you have your desired quantity.

I purchase strictly non-flavored, but I noticed sometimes, there'd be hazelnut flavor in the coffee; other times, I'd see inferior beans in the batch, and I realized, someone along the way was disposing of old, outdated beans by mixing them in small quantities with batches of fresh beans.

Interestingly, there were more issues with old beans at the far more expensive New Seasons (which is just a local Whole Foods chain in Oregon) than at Fred Meyer (Kroger).

my local supermarket - it's priced comparably with the 'gourmet' place, and is actually really tasty, and I know Starbucks guarantees their products, so can't go wrong there. I will buy bulk coffee from Costco because I trust them to verify that vendor claims are accurate (see, for example, that recent 60 Minutes story about counterfeit Italian foods).

I've stopped shopping there because most of their products are overpriced, in general, and their marketing is sketchy, not to mention that they place expensive homeopathic crap in the impulse buy sections at the registers. That last one is just plain old unethical to the core to me, though, of course, every store sells the stuff, too. Still, putting it in the impulse buy area just reeks of ugliness.

I've been very impressed with the quality of the beans in the bins at Fred Meyer. It's just as good as the more expensive stuff in bags, IMO.

Nice to have a pleasant exchange here with you. (Am I getting soft?!)

It's the most toxic substance most automobile users ever come into contact with. And, oh, ethanol in gasoline is garbage too...

That little plastic honey bear is a saint compared to your local gasoline station.