Consumerist
product safety
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product safety
testing
The Times brings us the story of vigilant consumers who successfully drove regulatory agencies to yank dangerous toys from store shelves. We have argued, along with the CPSC, that consumer testing is an utter waste of time, but consumers who are willing to bring their suspicious toys to a professional lab are able to have a surprising impact.
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Consumer Testing Spurs Toy Recalls
The Times brings us the story of vigilant consumers who successfully drove regulatory agencies to yank dangerous toys from store shelves. We have argued, along with the CPSC, that consumer testing is an utter waste of time, but consumers who are willing to bring their suspicious toys to a professional lab are able to have a surprising impact.
More »
Kraft is recalling 23,000 cases of Baker's Premium White Chocolate Baking Squares after FDA testing "detected the presence of salmonella in some 6-oz. packages." So far no illnesses have been reported, so if you're the opportunistic con-artist type, you've got a shot at being first-to-media on this one. [Reuters
futility
Should You Test Your Children's Toys For Lead? No.
The Times is reporting that some overzealous parents are manually testing their children's toys for lead. Take Andrew Jones, a well meaning but admittedly paranoid father to a 3-year-old:
Like many parents, Mr. Jones said he was suspicious of all of his daughter's toys now that millions of items for children have been recalled for high levels of lead.After the jump, we explain why this is an utter waste of time. More »To put his mind at ease, Mr. Jones bought several LeadCheck swab kits from his local hardware store to test dozens of his daughter's toys. So far, he has not found any lead.
This month marks the 50th year of Which?, a British magazine that conducts Consumer Reports-style independent product tests and campaigns on behalf of consumer rights in the UK. [Easier Finance]
medicine
House Approves Drug Testing Bill, Senate & Prez Expected To Follow
This week, the House of Representatives passed a new bill that gives the FDA the power to require new warning labels on existing prescription drugs, and the power to request "post-approval" studies of medicines as warranted. It also gives the FDA the authority to levy fines as high as $10 million to companies that fail to comply. The bill passed with a 405-7 vote on Wednesday and is expected to be passed by the Senate and approved by the President. More »
jungle moments
U.S. Companies Start Testing, Screening Chinese Products
U.S. companies are developing new safety measures in response to the continued rumbling of the Chinese Poison Train. The measures, along with renewed federal interest in food safety, suggest that we may be in the midst of a food safety revolution similar to the one that reformed the meatpacking industry after the publication of Upton Sinclaire's "The Jungle."For the companies, the problem is two-fold: figuring out exactly what to test for and maintaining control over their network of suppliers, even as they turn to China for vast quantities of imports at lower prices.Three companies are trying three different strategies to cope with the uncertain quality of China's exports: More »
tips from the salem cookbook
Is "Pure Honey" Really Pure?
Honey can be labeled "pure" even if contains additives like high fructose corn syrup. Most people prefer the taste of 100% pure bee's honey, but how can you test to be sure you are getting the good stuff? Testing the purity of honey is remarkably like testing the purity of a villager. To wit: More »
moos from the swamp
USDA To Meatpackers: You Have No Right To Test For Deadly Diseases
The USDA has vowed to safeguard your meat by fighting reckless meatpackers that want to test their dead cattle for mad cow disease. The USDA's current policy of testing less than 1% of cows is clearly succeeding since none of you have caught Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human variant of mad cow disease. More »
time warner cable
Time Warner's New DVR Software Is So Horrible That Lincoln, NE Has To Hold A Public Hearing
How bad is DVR software that a city has to hold a public hearing to determine what is to be done about it? Reader Nick writes in:We are a (maybe the only one?) testing area for Time Warner Cable. They have put a new DVR menu on my household's cable box and we all agree it is terrible. It was definitely a step down for TWC. Now a local committee is doing something about it!The local committee is none other than the Lincoln City Council, who are outraged at the awful DVR software. From the Lincoln Journal Star:
"There are serious problems here," Cook [City Councilman] said Wednesday afternoon. "I think Lincoln customers deserve better. They are not getting what they have paid for." The new guide has been beset with problems since its introduction. Complaints have ranged from the guide itself — ugly graphics, incomplete information, etc. — to problems with slow-reacting cable boxes and DVRs after the software was loaded into them, causing some subscribers to reboot one or more times a day.More »
blood
Military Not Allowed To Test On Civilians
Consumer news from Washington: The Navy will not be allowed to test a new "blood substitute" (derived from cow's blood) on 1,000 some civilian trauma victims without their consent. From MSNBC:- The development and testing of experimental blood substitutes has been fraught with controversy: Baxter International Inc. stopped research on one such product in 1998 when more than 20 patients given the substitute died.
