Recent state inspections of a Monticello, N.Y. Walmart have the mundane violations you’d see in any food facility’s inspection: dusty fans, lettuce cross-contamination, and coolers slightly warmer than they should be. Then there’s all of the food and other merchandise they’ve had to throw out after it was “defiled by rodents.” The state keeps coming back and reporting “thousands” of mouse droppings and evidence of rodents all over the store…and a few decaying corpses while they’re at it. The reports of mice go back to September 2011. [More]
Don’t Worry, That’s Just Bread Mold On Your Tampon
By March 28, 2012
Normally, Danielle wouldn’t have pulled her Kotex tampon out of the applicator for inspection before using it. I mean, who does that? One happened to fall out of the applicator, though, and that’s when she saw them. The splotches of blackish mold. “Makes you wonder how many times things like this happen to tampons and we don’t have a clue,” she wrote. Um, yes. [More]
TSA Finds Your Vibrator In Checked Suitcase, Leaves Creepy Note
By October 26, 2011
Bad: Having the TSA pawing through your checked luggage. Worse: The suitcase they chose to open includes a sex toy. Worse still: the person who went through your bags leaves a leering note. Specifically, they scrawl “GET YOUR FREAK ON GIRL” on the notice of inspection.
Similac Baby Formula Recalled Because It May Contain Chunks of Beetle
By September 23, 2010
Certain types of Similac powdered baby formula have been recalled because of, as the FDA delicately puts it, “the remote possibility of the presence of a small common beetle in the product.” [More]
Chili's Fires Employee Accused Of Placing Camera In Restroom
By July 10, 2010
A former Chili’s employee is set to answer charges that he stashed a cellphone camera aimed at the women’s toilets in the Arroyo Grande restaurant. The camera was discovered after a 41-year-old patron noticed something suspicious concealed in a bucket of cleaning supplies. [More]
Big Tobacco Sues NYC, Claims Anti-Smoking Posters Are Unconstitutional
By June 4, 2010
Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard are bankrolling a lawsuit that says that the graphic anti-smoking posters that the city now requires near cash registers are unconstitutional. [More]
Oh Look, There's A Severed Frog Head In My Green Beans
By February 24, 2010
There’s some disagreement about the identity of the creature whose head ended up in a Texas family’s frozen green beans. Is it a frog? Is it a snake? The family and the vegetable manufacturer disagree, but we do know that it is quite obviously not a bean. (Warning: picture and video inside.) [More]
Would You Buy This Meat?
By February 22, 2010
Reader Michael sent us this breakfast-ruining photo of some seriously off-putting meat offered at a discount at Walmart. A quick glance at this meat spoilage guide suggests “Oxidative Rancidity” which is what happens when you don’t wrap meat properly.
Steak WIth A Side Of Used Tampon Allegedly Served To Tourist At Waldorf-Astoria
By July 30, 2009
The image at left has been redacted for the protection of our more sensitive readers. The events of this story, if true, simply boggle the mind. A German tourist visiting New York City alleges that his delicious steak was somehow served with a used tampon on it. Warning: blissfully grainy photo and video inside.
How, Exactly, Did E. coli Get In Nestle's Cookie Dough?
By June 30, 2009
The recent discovery of E. coli O157 bacteria in NestlÈ refrigerated cookie dough and subsequent recall of 30,000 tubs of said dough raises an urgent scientific question: Uh, how did that much cow poop end up in cookie dough?
How To Spot A Contaminated Swimming Pool, And Why You Should
By May 29, 2009
It’s gray and rainy up here in the tropical paradise of upstate New York, but for those of you in more temperate climes, Consumer Reports Health kicks off the weekend with some frightening statistics about the American public’s pool hygiene, and how to tell whether a pool will make you sick or not before you dive in.
National Funeral Home Lets Hundreds Of Corpses Rot In Hallways
By April 5, 2009
The National Funeral Home in Falls Church, Virginia stores unrefrigerated corpses, including some bound for Arlington National Cemetery, in hallways and garages for months on end, according to embalmer-turned-whistleblower Steven Napper. The Funeral Home’s owner, Texas-based Service Corporation International, told Napper that they were unwilling to pay for refrigeration, which would prevent corpses from leaking and growing mold.
Vienna "All Beef" Hot Dogs Are Made With Sheep, Pigs
By September 21, 2008
Sorry Chicagoans, your beloved Vienna “100% All Beef” hot dogs are actually encased in sheep and pigs, according to a recently settled class action suit. Under the settlement, all class members—anyone in the U.S. who bought a Vienna hot dog at a hot dog stand in the past five years—are entitled to $3 per consumed hog dog. To submit a claim, visit caclawyers.com/viennasettlement.html and follow the procedures listed there.
This Giant Grasshopper Does Not Belong In A Tuna Melt
By August 31, 2008
The Bluebird Cafe in Culver City sold Seth a grasshopper home gussied up us a tuna melt. A waitress deftly handled the very-live and confused grasshopper by picking him up and tossing him on the ground. That’s it. No apology, no replacement sandwich.
Pardon Me, Waiter? My "Coffee" Is Actually Hot Soy Sauce
By August 11, 2008
Here’s a bizarre story from Flickr user F1.4. After finishing his breakfast at a “classy” joint in the D.C. area, the server came by and topped off his coffee. When he took another sip…it was hot soy sauce. Bleeccch!
Now In Applebee's Salads: Lizards!
By August 10, 2008
Applebee’s served a four-inch dead lizard as part of a salad last week. The McLean County Health Department investigated the surprise garnish and found that while “management confirmed it did happen,” “it’s just one of those extraordinary circumstances,” and that the restaurant was not at fault.
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Gives You A Rotten Apple, Then Calls Security
By August 5, 2008
Reader Nohreen says she bought an apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and it turned out to be rotten inside. When she called the store to complain, they told her it wasn’t rotten, just brown from having been cut awhile ago. Nohreen said she’d bring the apple back to show them that it was actually rotten, but they told her not to waste her gas because there was nothing they could do about it. When she got to the store, rather than help her, she says the employees called security.
This Coffee Shop’s Restroom Policy Is Extremely Subtle
By July 29, 2008
We were talking about pay toilets and restroom policies yesterday, which we can only assume is what prompted reader Stephen to share this photo of a sign he noticed at a coffee shop in Denver, CO. Stephen thinks it’s a “real thirst whetter.” We couldn’t agree more. [More]
