recall
Sam Adams has recalled some beer due to defective bottles that may contain shards of glass, says the company.
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complaints
There are efficient ways to initiate a recall and issue safety notices, and then there's the Buick way. After determining a potential fire hazard in the certain Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick Regals, Buick sent out safety notices in advance of a probable recall to its customers. It alerted them of the hazard, and recommend they have a mechanic investigate any suspicious burning smells. What they neglected, however, was to inform their dealerships of the hazard. Reader Tculkin, who had already complained of burning smells to another mechanic, followed the advice in his safety notice and immediately called his local dealership. The dealership had no idea what he was talking about. Literally, they didn't get the memo. Details, inside...
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chinese poison train
Mattel is blaming a potentially bankrupt cardboard box vendor for supplying 967,000 toys covered with lead paint. The toy maker publicly identified the Lee Der Industrial Company in Guangdong province in the hopes that other toy makers will take their business elsewhere. The AP tried to call Lee Der for comment, which resulted in this odd exchange:
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consumer action
Congress just put your wiretapping dollars to work, by amending a homeland security bill to allow the Consumer Product Safety Commission to regain
"its full authority to oversee the safety of thousands of household products," says the Washington Post. The reprieve only lasts for six months, but during that time it allows the commission—which has been hobbling along in an inactive state since January because of an ongoing member vacancy—to meet and take action on matters of consumer safety with only two members present.
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menu foods
According to the Boston Globe, it's possible that some of the tainted wheat from China that is suspected to have caused the massive pet food recall ended up in human food (emphasis added):
According to import records, the wheat gluten was shipped to the United States from Nov. 3, 2006 to Jan. 23 of this year and contained "minimal labeling" to indicate whether it was intended for humans or animals. The vast majority went to pet food manufacturers and distributors, according to the FDA. But some of the processing plants that remain under FDA scrutiny make both human and pet food.
"To date, we have nothing that indicates it's gone into human food," said Dorothy Miller , director of the FDA's Office of Emergency Operations . "We have a bit more investigation to do."
Yep, lots more investigating.
—MEGHANN MARCO
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menu foods
A Canadian woman who was trying to entice her newly-adopted dog to try dog food (the dog will only eat table scraps) ended up in the late-night ER. From the Edmonton Journal:
Elaine Larabie said Saturday she ate some dog food last week in an effort to convince her terrier, Missy, to do the same. Soon afterwards, both Larabie and Missy found themselves in hospital — Larabie at an after-hours emergency room, and Missy at Ottawa's Alta Vista Animal Hospital.
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recall
Imperialist fruit-giant Dole has recalled Costa Rican cantaloupes because of fears the fruit may be contaminated with salmonella.
The Dole Fresh Fruit Company recalled several thousand cartons of imported cantaloupes after the fruit tested positive for salmonella. The recall, which covers the eastern United States and the Canadian province of Quebec, is the second prompted by salmonella fears this week. Dole said there had been no reports of illness as a result of the contaminated cantaloupes, which were grown in Costa Rica.
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