Two of the more commonly used painkillers in the U.S. have been pulled from the market by their manufacturer after a new study linked the drugs to potentially fatal heart rhythms. [More]
Quality & Safety
Bans, Controversy Spark Four Loko Buying Run
By 11.19.10
Ah, the taste of forbidden fruit… juice flavor mixed with caffeine and alcohol. Since states and municipalities started banning Four Loko and the Food and Drug Administration classified caffeine as an unsafe additive to malt liquor, stores can’t keep the stuff on shelves. In response to the FDA ultimatum, the beverage maker has pledged to drop caffeine from the drink, but the original article is still out there. [More]
Maytag Dishwasher Possessed By Devil
By 11.18.10
Katie’s Maytag dishwasher barfs water all over the place and has had multiple parts fail. Recently the company issued a recall for her model offering a repair or $200 credit but unfortunately her serial number wasn’t included in the list. Where’s that old Maytag guy when you need him? Oh right, forced into early retirement and replaced with an outsourced vendor. [More]
Does GE Owe Her For The Icemaker?
By 11.17.10
Reader Cinnamon has specifically requested Consumerist reader opinions on whether GE should pay her back for the icemaker that broke twice in her refrigerator. [More]
So Did The USDA Spend Millions To Cheese-Up Your Domino's Pizza Or Not?
By 11.17.10
A couple weeks back we wrote about a New York Times article that claimed our tax dollars were being spent by the USDA to find more ways to add cheese to things like Domino’s Pizzas and Taco Bell products. But a new report in the Atlantic now says the Times misled readers — perhaps unintentionally — into thinking this was the case. [More]
FDA Warns Makers Of Alcoholic Energy Drinks
By 11.17.10
Earlier today, there was speculation that the FDA might issue a declaration that effectively bans alcoholic beverages that contain caffeine and other stimulants. While the agency opted to not go to such lengths, it did announce that caffeine added to malt liquor qualifies as an “unsafe food additive” and sent warning letters to the makers of seven different drinks, giving them 15 days to come up with a plan for remedying the violation. [More]
Is A Ban Needed On Alcoholic Energy Drinks?
By 11.17.10
Reports say the the Food & Drug Administration is planning to announce today that caffeine is an unsafe food additive in alcoholic drinks. This would effectively ban a whole range of products like Four Loko, Joose and Sparks, which market themselves as a sort of boozed-up energy drink. [More]
Some Reusable Shopping Bags Have Lead
By 11.15.10
Scrape off the trendiness and a popular “green” choice is actually “gray” underneath; some reusable shopping bags contain lead. [More]
More Cheese From Costco Recalled For E. Coli Contamination
By 11.15.10
Ten days after announcing that a brand of gouda cheese sold at Costco had been linked to an E. coli outbreak, the FDA has issued a recall for some gorgonzola cheese sold at Costco, also for E. coli contamination. [More]
Rocking Horses And Hobby Horses Want To Strangle Our Children
By 11.11.10
Yesterday was a dark one for the toy horse business, as two separate companies issued recalls because their rocking and hobby horses (aka “horse head on a stick”) apparently pose strangulation hazards. [More]
FDA Proposes More Graphic Warning Labels For Cigarettes
By 11.10.10
In an effort to convince cigarette smokers to quit — and to stop potential smokers from picking up a pack — the FDA’s Dept. of Health and Human Services has proposed a series of larger, more graphic warnings for cigarette packs and advertising. [More]
FDA Says CT Scans Need To Be Safer
By 11.10.10
Acting to make the administration of CT scans safer, the Food and Drug Administration released documents that urged better training for those who administer tests as well as warnings for patients about the radiation levels to which the tests expose them. [More]
Kid Gets Kinect-Clocked In The Face
By 11.9.10
There’s a reason why the instructions on the Xbox Kinect, which allows you to play video games by sensing your gestures, tell you to clear the playing area and make sure you have plenty of elbow room, especially when you are playing with two people. The reason is this video. [More]
Government Spends Millions Helping Domino's & Taco Bell Serve More Cheese
By 11.8.10
The NYT has an investigative piece on the $140 million a year organization called “Dairy Management.” It recently teamed up with Domino’s to develop a new line of pizzas with 40 percent more cheese, and proceeded to devise and pay for a $12 million marketing campaign, says the Times. Who is this organization? Well, it’s a “marketing creation” of the US Department of Agriculture. [More]
Study: If You Like Your Sperm, Don't Put Your Laptop On Your Lap
By 11.8.10
Just because they call it a laptop computer doesn’t mean you should put it on your lap — especially if you’re a male who is hoping to reproduce, says a new study. [More]
288,000 Eggs Recalled For Possible Salmonella Taint
By 11.8.10
The year of the rotten (or rather, infected) egg isn’t over yet. The Cal-Maine Foods company has announced a recall after learning that around 24,000 dozen eggs that it processed and repackaged had originally come from a facility that tested positive for salmonella. [More]
Cheese Sold At Costco Linked To E. Coli Outbreak
By 11.5.10
Costco might be a good place to stock up on eyeglasses, but the FDA says that the warehouse store has been selling and sampling some cheese that could make you sick. [More]
Slime Slops Into Sodas, Manager Too Busy To Clean Ice Machine
By 11.5.10
Reader Nora works at a restaurant where the new manager is too busy to mitigate the black slime growing in the ice machine, even though sometimes it plops into people’s drinks. At left is a picture she took with her cellphone of the mold colony. [More]
