A company that makes Starbucks’ pre-packaged Sausage, Egg, and Cheddar Cheese on English Muffin has issued a recalled for the breakfast sandwich over concerns that they may be contaminated with Listeria. [More]
Government Policy
Advocates: Schools Using Forced Arbitration Shouldn’t Receive Federal Aid
By 3.4.16
For-profit colleges that require students to sign away their legal rights, forcing them into arbitration in order to enroll in classes should not receive federal financial aid, a coalition of 47 consumer advocacy groups urged acting Secretary of Education John King on Friday. [More]
Staples To Close 50 Stores In Preparation For Life With Or Without Office Depot
By 3.4.16
As it awaits the final verdict from regulators on its pending billion-dollar purchase of rival office supply chain Office Depot, Staples is preparing to go it alone by announcing plans to shutter at least 50 of its own stores in order to slow declining sales. [More]
Regulators Investigating 420,000 Ford Trucks For Brake Failure Issue
By 3.4.16
After receiving dozens of complaints from consumers about brake failure, federal regulators have opened a probe into 420,000 of Ford’s most popular truck brand, the F-150. [More]
Consumer Advocates Petition FCC To Stop Comcast Exempting Their Own Stuff From Data Caps
By 3.3.16
Zero-rating — that thing where a company can exempt some services from data caps, to encourage customers to use it instead of other services — is still a big question mark, legally speaking. Is it “innovative” and “competitive” or does it violate net neutrality? The jury (or really, the FCC) is still out on that one, but a new formal complaint may finally force their hand toward some kind of decision. [More]
Maytag Blue Cheese Recall Expands To Cover Hy-Vee Supermarkets
By 3.3.16
The recall of potentially listeria contaminated Maytag Raw Milk Blue Cheese expanded Thursday, as Hy-Vee announced it would voluntarily recall the product and remove it from shelves in 240 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The cheese, produced by Maytag Dairy Farms, was sold in packages of crumbles, whole wheels, or cuts, and re-packaged in foil or clear plastic wrap with scale labels in various weights. The potential for contamination was discovered after testing by the state of Iowa revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in two lots of product. [FDA] [More]
Federal Court Enters Injunction Against Grower Of Listeria-Laden Sprouts
By 3.3.16
Back in 2014, we began asking whether everyone should just quit eating raw sprouts, and the sprout industry hasn’t done much to prove that we should since then. One of those companies that was part of the 2014 recalls apparently hasn’t cleaned up its metaphorical act and its literal sprouting facility, and the Food and Drug Administration went through the federal courts system went through the federal courts to stop them from sprouting until the company meets certain conditions. [More]
Target Recalls Valentine’s Day-Themed Mugs That Pose Fire Hazard
By 3.3.16
Imagine one morning sitting down to a nice cup of coffee in your cutesy mug only to realize its only lukewarm. No worries, the label on the cup says it’s microwave safe… except that it isn’t, and the minute minute you hit “start,” sparks start to fly. That’s the case for 12,300 Valentine’s Day-themed mugs sold by Target now being recalled for posing a fire risk. The retailer says the cups, which were mislabeled as microwave-safe, have been linked to three reports of sparks during microwaving. Customers should stop using the cups immediately and return them for a refund. [CPSC] [More]
Toyota Recalls Nearly 200,000 More Vehicles Equipped With Takata Airbags
By 3.2.16
The often criticized piecemeal approach to recalling vehicles equipped with shrapnel-shooting Takata airbags continued today as Toyota announced the recall of nearly 200,000 cars in the U.S. [More]
IRS Tool To Protect Identity Theft Victims Vulnerable To Identity Thieves
By 3.1.16
Every year, we warn you about tax return identity theft: bad guys all over the world obtain enough personal information about U.S. taxpayers to file fake tax returns and steal our refunds. After a taxpayer’s identity gets stolen in this way, the Internal Revenue Service issues them a special identification number that they have to enter when filing their tax return. The problem is that these numbers are pretty easy to access, too, and the IRS doesn’t have a good replacement yet. [More]
NHTSA: Recalling All Takata Airbags Wouldn’t Make Cars Safer
By 3.1.16
Frustrated by a piecemeal approach of recalling batches of affected vehicles here and there, lawmakers and safety advocates recently pushed for a recall of all cars equipped with shrapnel-shooting Takata airbags. But federal safety regulators say that this sort of all-at-once recall may actually do more harm than good. [More]
Senators Once Again Introduce Bill To Try To Stop FCC And Net Neutrality
By 3.1.16
Since June, 2015, net neutrality — or specifically, the FCC’s Open Internet Rule — has been the law of the land. While the rule is a win for consumers, plenty of businesses and politicians still don’t care for it, to say the least. So while the court challenge against it takes its own sweet time to mosey through the judicial system, opponents are taking another approach. What’s the best way to undo a law you hate? Get a new law. [More]
Shoes That Look Like They’re Made With Guns, Bullet Bracelets Will Get The TSA’s Attention
By 3.1.16
Obviously, when people travel, they bring part of their closet with them on the road. But if your closet includes shoes that resemble guns and bracelets with realistic looking bullets on them, just be prepared for the Transportation Security Administration to have a few questions if you’re packing that kind of fashion heat in your carry-on bag. [More]
Town Officials Not Pleased With Man Who Patched Neighborhood Potholes Himself
By 2.26.16
The problem isn’t necessarily that a man in Massachusetts went out and patched some holes in his street himself, at his own expense. The town prefers to use hot asphalt instead of the patching material he used. The core problem is that he happens be the sales manager for the company that sells that patching material. [More]
New Contact Lens Solution Warnings Mean Fewer Users Getting Peroxide In Their Eyes
By 2.26.16
If anyone ever tries to convince you that life isn’t constantly getting better, remember this: only an average of three people each year since 2012 have stuck contact lenses soaked in hydrogen peroxide in their eyes and caused injuries bad enough to report to the Food and Drug Administration. 61 people did from 2010 to 2011. The reason for this medical miracle? Red plastic. [More]
Florida Man Barred From Selling Unapproved “Natural Herpes Medicine”
By 2.26.16
Five years ago, the Food and Drug Administration first warned a Florida man to stop peddling a supposed cure for herpes until he proved it worked and was safe. He subsequently tweaked the marketing to make it less cure-like, but federal prosecutors say he still went too far in promising his supplement could treat the sexually transmitted disease. [More]
Herbalife Working On Settlement To Resolve FTC Investigation Into Business Practices
By 2.26.16
Nearly two years ago nutritional company Herbalife revealed that it was under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission for its often controversial business practices, or what some people claim is a pyramid scheme. Now, it looks like the company is ready to put the federal probe behind it. [More]
