Last week, Consumerist reader Aaron went to his local Acme supermarket outside of Philadelphia to pick up some yummy, delicious, Edy’s ice cream. Except what he brought home was neither yummy nor delicious because it was 8 months past its sell-by date. [More]
Quality & Safety
Graco Recalls 1.2 Million Harmony High Chairs
By 3.18.10
Graco has announced a recall of approximately 1.2 million of their Graco Harmony High Chairs after finding that the screws holding the front legs of the chair can loosen and fall out. Also, the plastic bracket on the rear legs can crack, “causing the chair to become unstable and tip over unexpectedly.” [More]
Chicago-Area Subway Now Being Blamed For 78 Illnesses
By 3.18.10
Yesterday, we wrote about a Chicago-area Subway that was the target of lawsuits after being tied to 21 separate cases of Shigellosis, an infectious disease caused by the food-borne Shigella bacteria. Well, that number has increased, just a little bit, to 78 confirmed cases. [More]
Simulate Driving A Runaway Toyota
By 3.17.10
This website professionally simulates what it’s like to drive a Toyota. Includes authentic screams of terror.
(Thanks to thespatulaoflove!)
NYC Health Dept. To Post Letter Grades On All Restaurants
By 3.16.10
In a move toward greater transparency, the New York City Board of Health has decided that all restaurants in the five boroughs will now be required to post large letter grades reflecting the results of their most recent health inspection. [More]
McSpaghetti & 14 Other Fast Food Failures
By 3.16.10
Have you ever had McSpaghetti? How about a basket of piping hot, deep-fried chicken livers from your local KFC? These are just a few of the not-so-popular menu items that made ChicagoNow’s list of the 15 Worst Fast Food Fails. [More]
Sushi Restaurant Really Sorry For Serving Whale Meat
By 3.16.10
Remember The Hump — that trendy L.A. sushi joint that got busted for serving whale meat? Well, they’ve issued an apology — of sorts — saying they were just trying to give its customers the same kind of cuisine they could enjoy in Japan. [More]
Inspectors Unable To Replicate Braking Problem In Runaway Prius Case
By 3.15.10
Inspectors looking into last week’s runaway Prius in Southern California are having troubled determining the cause of the incident, and haven’t been able to replicate the braking problem. [More]
Will This Food Kill Me? Ask The Internet
By 3.14.10
Last month, we posted about a Slate article encouraging people to depend on their senses and instincts when deciding whether food is safe to eat, rather than going solely by printed expiration or “sell by” dates. “Is the food slimy and smelly?” that post proclaimed. “Don’t eat it.” But if you doubt your own judgment and are unsure of the exact level of smelliness and sliminess that is acceptable for you and your family, the Livejournal community Can I Eat This? is here to help you navigate the scary world of your own refrigerator. [More]
CDC Used Shopper Loyalty Cards To Solve Mysterious Salmonella Outbreak
By 3.14.10
The shopper loyalty cards that your grocery store provides can have a higher purpose than giving you discounts, profiling your shopping habits, and racking up points for rewards programs. Loyalty card data can also help track down the source of foodborne pathogens, retaining records of specific brands and items that customers probably won’t remember. Trying to find the source of a mysterious salmonella outbreak, the CDC mined grocery loyalty card data to narrow the source down to specific brands of Italian cured meat. [More]
Runaway Prius Was On Its Way To Dealership Before Crash
By 3.12.10
Remember the story the other day about the woman in New York who slammed her runaway Prius into a stone wall? In an interesting little twist, the police say she was actually on her way to the Toyota dealership to have her car serviced when the incident occurred. [More]
Woman Crashes Toyota Into Church, Blames Stuck Accelerator
By 3.11.10
Another day, another report of a Toyota crash being blamed on a stuck gas pedal. This time, it’s a 76-year-old woman in Connecticut claiming her recalled Toyota Camry went nuts on her and — in spite of her best efforts to stop it — crashed into a church. [More]
Nissan Loses Devoted Customer Over Demonic Driver's Seat
By 3.11.10
Consumerist reader Brian has been devoted Nissan owner his entire adult life, having owned upward of 10 different Nissan vehicles over the years. But now Brian is looking to move onto non-Nissan pastures after the driver’s side seat of his new Pathfinder became possessed by some sort of malicious demon. [More]
Little Girl Gets Arm Trapped In Coke Machine
By 3.11.10
A curious six-year-old girl in Aberdeen, Scotland, had to be freed by firefighters after she got her arm stuck inside a Coca-Cola vending machine on Sunday. [More]
Toyota Probably Should Have Written This Spam's Subject Line More Carefully
By 3.11.10
“Amazing Incentives For Select Toyotas That Will Not Last Long.”
Reader Maida did a spit-take when this email from a Toyota dealer offering 0% APR for 60 months landed in her inbox. Yeeks, talk about a syntactical pileup.
Gerber Machete Recalled Because It Could Cut You
By 3.11.10
Gerber Legendary Blades is recalling 149,000 machetes in its Gator line, because you could slice your hand open if it slides across the blade. Yeah, we kind of imagine that’s one of the things you’d want to watch out for if you’re carrying an 18-inch blade that’s razor-sharp on one side and saw-toothed on the other. Of course, it’s one thing to slash yourself because you’re off playing Indiana Jones without knowing what you’re doing, and quite another to have it happen because the knife’s handle wasn’t designed as well as it could have been. [More]
Man Dies In Freak Gas Pump Fire Caused By Static Electricity
By 3.10.10
A Pennsylvania man died last Friday in a freak fire at a gas station. Authorities say that the fire was sparked by static electricity on the man’s body, and he died of inhalation of superheated gases. While this type of fire is very rare and fatalities even rarer, they do happen. To prevent them, you should do something terribly mundane: do not ever get back in your car while fueling, and make sure to touch a metal surface before fueling. [More]
Scarves With Microwaveable Heat Packs Recalled Due To Fire And Burn Hazard
By 3.10.10
The Therma Scarf, a polyester/cotton blend scarf with pockets and microwaveable heat packs marketed by infomercial powerhouse Telebrands, has been recalled. The scarf’s heat packs, made of flaxseeds, pose a fire and burn hazard to wearers. In a related story, someone actually thought it would be a good idea to make a microwaveable scarf with pockets. [More]
