When word broke that the Food and Drug Administration had halted orange juice shipments to check for a potentially harmful fungicide, the government was mum on which company found evidence that triggered the reaction. Now Coca-Cola solved the mystery by confirming it was responsible for spotting carbendazim — an illegal fungicide believed to cause infertility — in a shipment from Brazil.
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According to the AP, Coca-Cola spotted carbendazim not only in its own drinks, but those of a competitor. Testing revealed of 35 parts per billion of the fungicide in a Coke product, a level that the Environmental Protection Agency poses no significant threat. [More]
Quality & Safety
Coca-Cola Reveals It Blew The Whistle On Orange Juice Contamination
By 1.13.12
FDA Puts Squeeze On Orange Juice Shipments, Checks For Fungicide
By 1.12.12
Determined not to let orange juice double as unintentional contraception, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has frozen shipments to check for carbendazim, a fungicide banned in much of the world that is believed to cause infertility. As much as 25 percent of the American juice supply comes from abroad, and the FDA acted on a report that a juice company detected the fungicide in imports from Brazil, which provides 11 percent of America’s OJ. [More]
Crab Soup Recalled for Undeclared Milk, Wheat and…Crab?
By 1.11.12
The sharp-eyed regulators at the FDA warn that Whole Foods is recalling cans of Rip Roar’N Crab Soup because the labels fail to tell consumers of a chief ingredient: crab. Wait. What? [More]
Excedrin, NoDoz, Bufferin & Gas-X Recalled For Stray & Broken Tablets
By 1.9.12
The makers of Excedrin, NoDoz, Bufferin and Gas-X Prevention have issued a voluntary recall of select bottle packaging configurations of those products, because they might include stray tablets from other products or broken or chipped tablets. [More]
Chevy To Fix Every Volt Vehicle To Prevent Battery Fires
By 1.5.12
Late last year it was revealed that the Dept. of Transportation was looking into possible problems with the batteries in electric vehicles after a Chevy Volt caught fire following a crash test. Now it looks like General Motors will spend the next few months upgrading the battery containment and coolant systems in every Volt currently on the road. [More]
Canadian Scientists: Actually, Mountain Dew Can't Dissolve A Mouse
By 1.5.12
The Canadian Broadcasting Company has an important message for the soda pop-buying public: PepsiCo’s claim that Mountain Dew can’t dissolve a whole mouse into a “jelly-like substance” seems unlikely to them. A rodent in a small container of soft drink is going to decompose, not dissolve. Doesn’t that make you feel better? [More]
FDA Bans "Extra-Label" Uses Of Popular Class Of Antibiotics On Farm Animals
By 1.4.12
For those of you who are concerned about the amount of antibiotics being given to the cows, chickens, pigs and turkeys that provide (or end up as) the food on your plate, here’s some good news. The Food and Drug Administration has announced a new regulation that prohibits “extra-label” uses of a popular class of antibiotics. [More]
Tests Show No Connection Between Enfamil Baby Formula & Child Deaths
By 1.3.12
Late last month, Walmart and a handful of other other retailers decided to pull certain lots of Enfamil powdered baby food formula from shelves following the death of an infant in Missouri who had recently consumed the product. But tests by authorities at the Enfamil plant now show no link between the formula and this child’s death. [More]
FDA Warns Doctors & Pharmacists Not To Mix Up Similarly Named Eye Drops & Wart Remover
By 12.29.11
It’s been almost a year since we brought you the story of the man who sued Walgreens for giving him Durasal wart remover instead of the Durezol eye drops his doctor had prescribed. Now the Food & Drug Administration has issued an alert to pharmacists and doctors to not make the same mistake. [More]
Health Inspectors Visit Enfamil Baby Formula Factory As Part Of Investigation Into Bacterial Infections
By 12.29.11
As part of an ongoing investigation into bacterial infections of Cronobacter that killed an infant last week, U.S. health inspectors visited an Enfamil baby formula factory run by Mead Johnson Nutrition Co., the makers of the formula in question. [More]
Class-Action Lawsuit Has A Problem With Sun Chips And Tostitos Being Labeled "All Natural"
By 12.22.11
The meaning of the phrase “all natural” is in dispute in a class-action lawsuit recently filed against Frito Lay over claims that some of the company’s Tostitos and Sun Chips products may not live up to consumers’ expectations of an all-natural label. [More]
Johnson & Johnson Ends 2011 Just At It Began — By Recalling More Stuff
By 12.22.11
After more than a year of near-constant recalls, the folks at Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil Labs aren’t finished yet. This time, it’s a mere 12 million bottles of Motrin that are being recalled from store shelves because the pills may not dissolve as quickly as they are supposed to. [More]
Pampered Chef Ice Cream Scoops Recalled, Could Fly Off Their Own Handles
By 12.21.11
Consumer Product Safety Commission recall notices are hilarious in their understatement. Take this current recall of Pampered Chef ice cream scoops: the problem is described in the press release headline as an “Impact Injury Hazard.” Translation: if you put this scoop in warm water, the cap at the end may pop off and hit you. Or your kitchen appliances. [More]
Build-A-Bear Agrees To Pay $600K For Failing To Report Toy Chairs That Could Snap Off Fingers
By 12.19.11
Reading about a defective Build-A-Bear product can conjure up visions of bears coming to life to chase terrified children. The good news is that’s not happening, but the company has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $600,000 for failing to report toy beach chairs that resulted in injuries — including possible finger amputation. [More]
NTSB: You Shouldn't Be Using Your Cell Phone While Driving, Even Hands-Free
By 12.13.11
The day could be coming when it would be illegal for that girl yapping on her headset in the lane next to you on the freeway to be yapping at all, even on a hands-free cell phone. The National Transportation Board said states should ban all cell phone use for drivers [More]
FDA Issues Warnings About Misleading Lap-Band Ads
By 12.13.11
The FDA has issued warning letters to eight surgical centers in California and a marketing firm behind the 1-800-GET-THIN number for misleading advertising of the Lap-Band, an implanted device intended to promote weight loss in severely obese individuals. [More]
Even More Dog Food Recalled Because Aflatoxin Is Not Part Of Your Pet's Diet
By 12.12.11
Last week, we told you about the recall of some Iams and other dog food brands over concerns about the possible contamination by a nasty mold. Well, the recalls continue, as Advanced Animal Nutrition has announced a recall of its dry Dog Power Dog Food for the exact same reason. [More]
Recalled Cilantro Has Unintended Bonus Ingredient Of Salmonella
By 12.12.11
Your salsa may have more of a kick to it than you know. The Food and Drug Administration announced that Pacific International Marketing has recalled 6,141 cartons of cilantro that might have been contaminated with salmonella. Cilantro is often used in salads and salsa. [More]
