Two apparently separate dog food recalls have been issued in the last 24 hours — one by Procter & Gamble’s Iams brand, the other involving several regional brands produced by agribusiness colossus Cargill — that both involve the same concern over an unfriendly mold being present in your furry best friend’s food. [More]
Quality & Safety
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood: Don't Worry Guys, Chevy Volt Is Safe To Drive
By 12.7.11
You know those battery fires that could spark up if a Chevrolet Volt crashes, the ones the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are very seriously investigating? Don’t worry about it –Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the electric cars are safe to drive. [More]
Doctors Aren't Fans Of Instant Soup After Treating Patients Burned By Those Products
By 12.5.11
Cup of noodles? More like cup of pain, say doctors who treat many patients with burns related to incidents involving those Styrofoam cups full of hot microwaved liquid. The very design of those cups is dangerous, says a new report. [More]
Honda's Airbag Recall Continues To Inflate, Adds Another 273,000 Cars
By 12.2.11
Back in 2008, Honda issued a recall of a measly 3,940 vehicles over potentially faulty airbags. In 2009, that number ballooned up to 440,000 cars, and then added another 438,000 in 2010. But like a big white bag that inflates unexpectedly in your face, it just got larger, adding another 273,000 cars. [More]
Illness In Dogs Traced To Chinese Chicken Jerky
By 12.1.11
The first thing that I do when looking at a bag of pet treats is turn it over and look for the country of origin. I’m not alone–and not paranoid, as it turns out. A few weeks ago, the Food and Drug Administration reminded American pet owners about unexplained and sometimes fatal illnesses related to chicken jerky treats imported from China. The FDA and its counterparts around the world have been warning consumers to be alert about jerky-related illnesses since 2007. [More]
Minneapolis Looking To Stop Cabbies From Using Cell Phones
By 11.30.11
Most of us who’ve lived in major city for long enough have had those experiences of sitting in the backseat of a cab, irritated and possibly concerned by the driver’s incessant yammering on his/her phone. Wouldn’t it be nice if such distracting chit-chat was illegal? [More]
Consumer Reports Study Finds High Levels Of Arsenic & Lead In Some Fruit Juice
By 11.30.11
While federal standards set limits for the amount of arsenic and lead in tap and bottled water, but no such hard line exists for fruit juices, even though such drinks are dietary staples of children. Thus, our cousins-in-arms at Consumer Reports set to testing some juices, only to turn up results that should cause concern among parents and lawmakers. [More]
Political Commentary On A Pizza Hut Sign?
By 11.29.11
As you’ve probably heard, the longstanding rule that classifies 1/8 cup of tomato paste as a serving of vegetables in kids’ school lunches — thus allowing a slice of pizza to qualify as a serving of veggies — was set to be changed, but political maneuvering recently scuttled that change. And not everyone is thrilled with that. [More]
Ocean Spray Voluntarily Recalls Craisins For Possible Contamination
By 11.29.11
Watch out for “hair-like metal fragments” if you’re munching on some Craisins — Ocean Spray has recalled certain lots of its dried cranberries for possible contamination. [More]
A Guide To Packing Away Those Leftovers
By 11.24.11
Despite all your loved ones’ best efforts to eat everything in sight, there’s still a bunch of food remaining. Now is the time to strategically pack the food away for a lust-filled reunion at a date yet to be determined. (Probably 9 p.m. or so tonight). [More]
McDonald's Kicks Egg Supplier To Curb Following FDA Citations
By 11.18.11
A lot of people are still a bit touchy about eggs following last year’s salmonella outbreak and subsequent massive recall. Thus, when the folks at McDonald’s saw an upcoming ABC News report on — and learned of an FDA warning against — one of their major egg suppliers, the fast food giant decided it was time to take its business elsewhere. [More]
Learn Thanksgiving Turkey Fryer Safety With William Shatner
By 11.16.11
It’s still a little early to start talking about turkey fryer safety. There’s still a week before most families’ birds even come out of the freezer. But this is no ordinary video: most frying guides don’t feature William Shatner being consumed by a massive computer-generated fireball.
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4 Bad Cooking Habits People Need To Break
By 11.15.11
Thanksgiving is next week, meaning that even some people whose version of “home cooking” involves pressing a button on the microwave will be playing chef for the day. But there are a number of kitchen habits — some of them handed down through the generations — that home cooks need to break themselves of before they pop in that turkey (or tofurkey, if you’re so inclined). [More]
Apple Will Replace First-Gen iPod Nanos For Overheating Risks
By 11.14.11
If you have an iPod nano sold between Sep ’05 and Dec ’06, you could be eligible for a replacement under a new worldwide recall issued by Apple to deal with battery heating issues. [More]
100,000 "Atlas Shrugged" DVDs Recalled
By 11.11.11
100,000 “Atlas Shrugged” DVDs have been recalled for an important danger they posed to unwary consumers: the title sheet suggested that viewers help someone out besides themselves. [More]
NHTSA Investigating Electric Vehicle Batteries Following Chevy Volt Fire
By 11.11.11
As mass-produced plug-in electric vehicles continue to roll off assembly lines, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is taking a closer look at the batteries that power these cars following an incident in which a Chevy Volt caught fire three weeks after undergoing a NHTSA side-impact crash test. [More]
FDA Threatens Stores That Sell Tobacco To Kids
By 11.11.11
The Food and Drug Administration is going after businesses suspected of selling cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to minors, sending out letters to 1,200 stores and threatening eventual fines if they fail to comply with the law. The FDA says it has conducted 27,500 inspections to make sure retailers aren’t violating restrictions on such activities as setting up cigarette vending machines, selling cigarettes and failing to check IDs. [More]
Recalls Issued For 420,000 Toyota & Lexus Vehicles Over Steering Concerns
By 11.9.11
Earlier today, the folks at Toyota issued a recall of approximately 283,000 Toyota vehicles — Avalon, Camry, Highlander, Sienna, Solara — and 137,000 Lexus vehicles — ES330, RX330, RX400h — over concerns that a potential problem in these vehicles may suddenly make it much harder for the driver to steer. [More]
