Encouraging your employees to go vegetarian one day a week might not seem like that big of a deal — unless you’re the United States Department of Agriculture, the agency tasked with promoting all agriculture products, including meat. The USDA said a post about “Meatless Monday” on its website was from an internal newsletter that went up without proper clearance. [More]
Quality & Safety
USDA Upsets Meat Lovers By Posting Internal Memo Pushing “Meatless Mondays” On Its Website
By 7.26.12
Chick Fil-A Claims Henson Toy Recall Unrelated To Same-Sex Marriage Controversy
By 7.24.12
As you have probably already heard, the Jim Henson Company announced last Friday that it was severing ties with restaurant chain Chick fil-A because its leadership has recently affirmed its stance against same-sex marriage. Now there is murmuring on the Internet that Chick fil-A pulled its existing inventory of Henson toys from stores, claiming an unrelated safety recall. [More]
Cargill Recalls 30,000 Of Beef Sold In Northeast Over Salmonella Concerns
By 7.23.12
Those living in the Northeast, especially customers of Hannaford Supermarkets, should keep an eye on the ground beef they’re buying. Cargill Beef is voluntarily recalling 29,339 pounds of ground beef over fears that it may contain salmonella. [More]
Ford Issues Immediate Recall Of 2013 Escape SUV Because Fire Is Scary
By 7.20.12
Fewer than 5,000 model year 2013 Ford Escape SUVs have been delivered to customers so far, including one to our colleagues over at Consumer Reports Cars for testing. But Ford has already announced a recall of the vehicles, ordering dealers to stop selling and offering test drives on the 1.6 liter engine base model. Ford has also asked Escape owners to stop driving their vehicles immediately. Why? The engine compartment fuel line might split and leak. If the engine is started or already running when a leak occurs, the vehicle could catch fire. [More]
13-Year-Old Left In Parked Car Goes On Destructive Rampage, Parks On Top Of Another Car
By 7.19.12
Just about everyone has done it: leave kids in the car, even for just a minute or two, with the keys still in the ignition so the air conditioning, heat, or radio can keep running. For people without kids, surely your own parents left you in the car with the keys at some point. Or maybe they never did, fearing that something would go terribly wrong. Like when a Michigan teen with the keys to her grandmother’s car launched a one-girl demolition derby in the parking lot of a Bed, Bath, and Beyond. She hit a utility pole and a few parked cars before eventually nestling the vehicle sideways between two other parked cars. [More]
Porsche Recall Shows That Even $173,000 Cars Can Sometimes Catch On Fire
By 7.17.12
If you plunk down $173,000 for a car, you would hope that — in addition to all the luxurious finishes — the vehicle wouldn’t have a defect that could cause your pricey plaything to go up in flames while the rest of the world tries to contain its schadenfreude. [More]
FDA Finally Decides That BPA Doesn’t Belong In Baby Bottles
By 7.17.12
Nearly four months after deciding not to listen to science or common sense and ban the use of controversial chemical bisphenol-A (you may call it BPA around your household) in food packaging, the Food and Drug Administration has decided that we should at least keep BPA out of the mouths of babies. [More]
Passengers Discover Sewing Needles In Turkey Sandwiches On Four Delta Flights
By 7.17.12
Two passengers got a mouthful of something horrifying when they bit into sandwiches served aboard Delta Air Lines flights from Amsterdam to the U.S. this weekend — sewing needles stuck in the meat. The FBI is now investigating the incidents, which involved needles found in sandwiches on four separate flights. [More]
FDA Approves First Pill For Preventing HIV Infections In High-Risk Patients
By 7.16.12
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a major first today, approving Truvada, a drug intended to prevent HIV infections for people at high-risk of contracting it. It’s the first pill approved to reduce the likelihood of getting HIV for people having sex with infected individuals. [More]
Dirty Air Conditioner Filters Could Be Blowing Your Money Away
By 7.16.12 — Updated: 5.2.17
Has anyone else noticed that it’s been pretty hot this summer? As such, your air conditioner is probably getting quite the workout. But it’s important to make sure you’re getting the most out of it as you can so it can do its very best to cool you down instead of just running up your electric bill. That goes for your dehumidifier as well. One easy way to optimize those appliances? Cleaning out your dirty filters. [More]
Shortages Force Paramedics To Use Expired Drugs
By 7.13.12
Many of us have probably popped a pill or two that we knew had passed its expiration date. But when you get medical care from professionals, there is usually the expectation that you’re getting the freshest stuff available. But a conspiracy of conditions has led to some emergency responders stocking their ambulances with out-of-date drugs. [More]
July Recall Roundup – Twist’n Explode
By 7.13.12
In this month’s Recall Roundup: electronics short out and catch fire, little girls’ aqua shoes don’t grip as well as one might think, digital camera battery packs bite back, and someone thought that “Twist’n Sparkle” was a good product name. More like “Twist’n Explode.” [More]
USDA Declares Natural Disaster Situations In 26 States Hit By Drought
By 7.12.12
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared a state of natural disaster in more than 1,000 counties spread across 26 states, as drought and fires have hit the country hard this season. That covers about a third of all the farmers in the country. [More]
Excedrin Recall Sends Desperate Migraine Sufferers To eBay
By 7.11.12
Six months ago, production problems at a Novartis plant manufacturing over-the-counter, generic, and veterinary drugs prompted FDA action and a recall of common over-the-counter drugs such as Excedrin, No-Doz, and Gas-X. While generic versions of all of these drugs are commonly available, some Excedrin users don’t find them effective and have been clamoring for the original. Novartis isn’t producing any new Excedrin, and prices on eBay are now nearing $1 per tablet. [More]
Maker Of OxyContin Believes Children Are The Future (For Extending Its Patent)
By 7.3.12
The company that makes OxyContin has a good thing going, with lots of free PR from shows like Intervention and Justified and no exact generic equivalent to undercut its market share. But there are dark clouds on the horizon for the OxyContin brand, as its patent is set to expire in April. Now, in a ploy to extend that patent, the Oxy folks are going through the motions of pretending they actually care whether or not children can take the drug safely. [More]
Don’t Try To Sell Your Target Gift Card For Cash Inside The Store
By 7.3.12
When Heather tried to sell her son’s old crib, she learned that it had been recalled and contacted the retailer, Target, to find out how to get a refund. She was told that if she brought the crib to a Target store, she would receive a refund on the spot. What she wasn’t told is that the refund would be in the form of a Target gift card. With the nearest store an hour away, she doesn’t visit regularly and has no use for a gift card. She’s on a tight budget and has more use for cash. She tried to find a fellow customer to buy it from her until store management asked her to stop. From their point of view, she brought in a recalled item without understanding Target’s policies, and was soliciting customers inside the store, attempting to sell her gift card for cash. [More]
Which Fireworks Are Banned In My State And Where I Can Light Off The Good Stuff?
By 7.3.12
Tomorrow we celebrate the birth and continued independence of these fifty, nifty United States of America, almost all of which have very different, very specific fireworks laws. So before you go lighting that fuse in remembrance of our founding folks, it couldn’t hurt to learn whether or not you’ll get in trouble for lighting off that really expensive fireworks package you bought at South of the Border during your drive to Disney World — or even that sparkler you picked up at a convenience store the other day. [More]
We Are Not Shocked That Most People Injured By Fireworks Get Hurt Around The 4th Of July
By 7.2.12
Obvious or not, when it comes to fiery objects it’s always better to be extra safe than sorry, right? But in case you weren’t sure when there would be a large surge in fireworks-related injuries, a survey from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that most fireworks injuries happened during the month of the July 4th holiday. [More]
