Fear not, cookie monsters, the Girl Scouts say their eponymous wares are not affected by the salmonella-infected peanut butter responsible for at least 453 illnesses and 5 deaths. [Press Release] (Photo: tracyhunter)
Quality & Safety
By 1.21.09
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Animal lovers out there can rejoice, US Airways says that no pets were lost in flight 1549 — either in the cabin or in the cargo hold, as US Airways does not accept pets as cargo. [Newsday]
US Airways Aircraft Almost Had To Make Emergency Landing Two Days Before Splashing Into The Hudson
By 1.20.09
CNN is reporting that two days before US Airways flight 1549 splashed into the Hudson, passengers on the same airplane say that they heard loud noises coming from the engines and that they were told there might have to be an emergency landing.
453 Illnesses, 5 Deaths Connected To Tainted Peanut Butter
By 1.20.09
The peanut butter recalls just keep on coming — as an outbreak of salmonella that has sickened 453 people and contributed to 5 deaths in 43 states continues.
By 1.19.09
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Another peanut butter recall: Wal-Mart Bakery Brand Peanut Butter Cookies.
As Salmonella Recall Expands, FDA Warns Consumers To "Postpone Eating" Many Peanut Butter Products
By 1.18.09
The FDA still hasn’t tracked down all that yummy salmonella-contaminated peanut butter, and until they do, they want consumers to stop eating all “commercially-prepared or manufactured peanut butter-containing products and institutionally-served peanut butter.” No, this doesn’t mean the jar of Skippy on your shelf, but it does seem to cover cookies, cakes, and ice cream; pretty much any shrink-wrapped peanut butter snack.
Don't Worry, Reselling Children's Clothing Isn't About To Become Illegal. Probably.
By 1.17.09
Reselling your kid’s used clothing could soon violate federal law. Come February 10, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act will prevent retailers from selling children’s products that haven’t been certified as lead free. Old hand-me-downs, of course, haven’t been certified for anything more than running around the yard. Parents are worried, petitions are being drawn up, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission isn’t doing much to clarify the law.
By 1.16.09
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Bad news! This uterus has been recalled because it presents a potential choking hazard. [iheartguts.com]
500,000 Stork Craft Cribs Recalled
By 1.16.09
More killer cribs are on the loose, this time from Stork Craft. The CPSC has issued a recall for all Stork Craft cribs “with manufacturing and distribution dates between May 2000 and November 2008,” because the metal support brackets can crack and break, creating a suffocation danger. If you own one, call Stork Craft at 866-361-3321 to order a free bracket replacement kit, or click here.
Pool Operators Slow To Comply With New Safety Law; Make Sure They Do
By 1.15.09
The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act—which requires filtration systems to have special safety covers—was named after a 7-year-old who was killed in 2002 when she was trapped at the bottom of a hot tub by “hundreds of pounds of suction force.” It’s not the sort of accident that happens frequently, but when it does it’s a grisly and horrific event. Unfortunately, despite the law being in effect since the middle of last month, and the fact that pool operators have known about it for over a year, CNN reports that many pools still haven’t been brought into compliance.
Kellogg: "Please Don't Eat Our Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers"
By 1.15.09
Can’t make it to your local prison, hospital, or school cafeteria to get in on this year’s peanut butter salmonella craze? Kellogg may have you covered at the nearest snack vending machine. The company has announced that it doesn’t want anyone eating its Keebler and Austin brand peanut butter crackers right now while it investigates whether they’re action packed with salmonella stowaways.
Salmonella Peanut Butter Explains Some, But Not All Illnesses
By 1.14.09
For those of you following along with the 3-month-long salmonella outbreak — the Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed that the strain of salmonella in the commercial peanut butter is the same as the one causing the outbreak.
There's Salmonella In The Peanut Butter… Again
By 1.12.09
For the past three months or so, the FDA and the CDC have been working to find the source of an outbreak of salmonella typhimurium that has sickened at least 400 people nationwide. Now the Minnesota Department of Health thinks they may have found the answer in a jar of institutional peanut butter not sold to the public.
Airlines Fail To Kill Passengers 2 Years Running
By 1.12.09
For the first time in the history of jet airliners, US airlines have gone two years without any passengers dying. This is all the more amazing considering the last two years have seen a number of incidents where passengers were stuck onboard on the tarmac for hours without food, water, and in some cases, with a river of human refuse leaking down the aisle. Said an MIT professor who studies aviation safety, in a remark both whimsical and macabre, “If you see a child in the airport today or tomorrow…that child has a greater chance of growing up to be president than failing to reach his or her destination safely.”
Dear President-Elect Obama, The FDA Is Mismanaged. Sincerely, The FDA
By 1.12.09
A letter to President-Elect Obama from nine FDA scientists makes alarming charges of mismanagement at the FDA, alleging incompetence, intimidation, and inappropriate industry influence.
Is Local Food Safer Than Industrial Food?
By 1.10.09
So food from green markets and community supported agriculture is cleaner and healthier than that grocery store schmaltz, right? Not so fast, says E.coli litigation king Bill Marler, who recently wrote that convincing local food producers to keep their food clean will be one of the top ten food safety challenges of the year.
Quest Says Nearly 10% Of Its Vitamin D Tests Were Inaccurate
By 1.9.09
Last October, Quest Diagnostics contacted “thousands of doctors” around the country to notify them that one or more of their patients might have received “questionable” results on vitamin D tests performed over the past two years. It’s offering free retests to anyone who was affected.
Mini-CornDog Box Picture Vs Reality
By 1.8.09
Reader Chris was excited about his recent purchase of 60 Mini-CornDogs — until he opened the package. Inside he found.. weird spherical hotdog bits.
