A “natural” coffee promises to improve a drinker’s sexual desire and stamina through the use of three herbs. But it’s now being recalled after Food and Drug Administration tests found that the coffee — which has been linked to one death — actually contains the same active ingredients found in prescription erectile dysfunction drugs Viagra and Cialis. [More]
Quality & Safety
Owners Of Duramax-Engine Trucks Accuse GM Of Using Emissions-Cheating Devices
By 5.25.17
Add General Motors to the growing list of carmakers accused of using so-called “defeat devices” to skirt federal emissions standards. Owners of GM trucks with Duramax diesel engines say the car company has been using secretly installed software to cheat on these tests — and boost sales — for more than five years. [More]
Doctors, Safety Advocates Have Unanswered Questions About Popular ‘Baby Boxes’
By 5.25.17
Reducing the rate of infant mortality in the U.S. is an admirable cause, but some health and safety advocates say they aren’t yet convinced that placing your baby in a cardboard box to sleep is the right or safe way to achieve that goal. [More]
Ekrich Recalls 90,000 Pounds Of Cheddar Sausage That May Contain Metal Pieces
By 5.25.17
Ready-to-eat sausage from Armour Ekrich contains pork, turkey, beef, cheddar cheese… and maybe some metal pieces. Wait: One of those ingredients is definitely not part of a tasty breakfast. Over 90,000 pounds of the breakfast meat has been recalled for possibly containing some metal, though no injuries have been reported to date. [More]
42 States And D.C. Settle With Johnson & Johnson Over Adulterated OTC Drugs
By 5.24.17
You might remember multiple recalls of over-the-counter medications from McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, at the beginning of this decade. These included adult and children’s versions of common drugs like Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec, and Benadryl. After settling criminal charges, now the company has now settled allegations that it marketed these products deceptively when claiming that it followed good manufacturing processes. [More]
Graco Recalling 25,400 Carseats That May Not Properly Restrain Children In A Crash
By 5.24.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
If you tote your child from point A to point B in a Graco carseat, listen up: The company has recalled eight different carseat models after finding they may not adequately restrain a child. [More]
One Victim Dead In Gas Station Cheese Botulism Outbreak, Case Still Under Investigation
By 5.23.17
One of the people who contracted botulism from nacho cheese sauce served in a California gas station has died. The state health department is still trying to figure out how the store’s cheese became contaminated with a very rare and incredibly deadly pathogen. [More]
As Heroin Takes Hold, Some Librarians Learn How To Treat Overdoses
By 5.22.17
Public libraries aren’t merely book repositories; they also provide access to information and resources for the entire community. And in some neighborhoods, librarians are training themselves to revive heroin users who have overdosed. [More]
Feds Open Investigation Into Recall Of 1.6M Hyundai, Kia Vehicles
By 5.22.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
Federal regulators want to know why it took Hyundai and Kia 18 months to recall nearly 1.2 million vehicles that may have the same engine defect that resulted in an earlier recall of 470,000 sedans. [More]
Nathan’s Hot Dogs Recalled For Presence Of Metal Chunks
By 5.22.17
As you start your Memorial Day cookout preparations, you may want to look extra carefully at that package of hot dogs: The company that makes Nathan’s hot dogs is recalling 210,000 worth of beef franks over concerns that they may contain metal fragments. [More]
CDC Politely Reminds You: Please Don’t Go In The Pool If You’ve Had Diarrhea
By 5.19.17
With public pools opening up for the summer season, the time has come once again for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue its yearly plea: Please, if you have diarrhea or aren’t feeling well, don’t go swimming. [More]
BrightFarms Leafy Greens And Basil Recalled For Possible Metal Pieces
By 5.19.17
Growing salad greens and herbs in a greenhouse is a great way to ensure a year-round supply of both, but you want to keep pieces of the greenhouse itself out of customers’ food. BrightFarms grows spinach, salad greens, and kale in a greenhouse in Virginia that’s sold in five states and Washington, DC, and is recalling greens that might have pieces of metal from the greenhouse in them. [More]
Gas Station Cheese Sauce Linked To Dangerous Botulism Outbreak
By 5.18.17
Food-borne illness outbreaks are often tied to fresh foods — unwashed raw vegetables, tainted undercooked meat, raw dairy products — but not the neon yellow nacho cheese sauce you’d get at a movie theater or convenience store. However, one batch of this processed cheese-like product has been linked to multiple, potentially lethal cases of botulism. [More]
Toyota, Subaru, Mazda, BMW To Pay $553M To Owners Of Vehicles With Potentially Lethal Takata Airbags
By 5.18.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
Owners of Toyota, Subaru, Mazda, and BMW vehicles affected by the massive shrapnel-shooting Takata airbag defect could soon receive compensation for past repairs and other economic losses, as the automakers agreed today to pay $553 million to compensate owners and create programs intended to repair defective airbags more quickly. [More]
NYC Landlords Busted For Renting Illegal Rooftop Shacks On Airbnb
By 5.18.17
If you see an Airbnb listing for a New York City apartment with rooftop views, be warned that you may be paying hundreds of dollars a night to stay in an illegally constructed shack underneath a bridge. [More]
Justice Dept. May Go After Fiat Chrysler For Skirting Emissions Standards
By 5.18.17
Now that both the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) have accused Fiat Chrysler of using “defeat device” software to skirt emission standards in more than 100,000 vehicles, the Department of Justice is expected to file a lawsuit against carmaker. [More]
Soy Butter Company Behind 12-State E. Coli Outbreak Goes Bankrupt
By 5.17.17
SoyNut Butter Co., the company behind contaminated soy butter that made at least 32 people sick with E. coli and triggered a nationwide recall has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, meaning it has no intention of sticking around. [More]
Federal Safety Official Reminds Parents: Crib Bumpers Are Pointless, Possibly Dangerous
By 5.17.17 — Updated: 5.18.17
No one likes the idea of their baby’s soft noggin getting caught in a crib’s slats, but a federal safety official is reminding parents that crib bumpers don’t really keep your child safe, and they could be hazardous. [More]
