A toy-maker who refused to issue a recall for its lead-tainted toys has reversed its position. TY made some “Jammin Jenna” dolls with that were found to have more lead than 600 parts per million Illinois state limit. In response to recall requests, TY said it didn’t have to because they said federal law supersedes state law. However, the state AG and federal CPSC responded that states are allowed to adopt more restrictive laws in the absence of federal regulation. TY will pull the Jammin Jena dolls and replace their leadly shiny red vinyl shoes with cloth ones.
Quality & Safety
Dairy Queen Owner Exclaims "Good God Almighty, Where's My Manager?" After Workers Moon Drive-Thru Window
By 1.19.08
Hey St. John’s Dairy Queen workers, you forgot to make your Facebook group private. Now your hilarious little videos of each other mooning the drive-thru and waging indoor snowball fights are all over Canadian television. They just don’t understand your jokes about “using meat the next day that wasn’t kept overnight in the cooler.” Neither do the health inspectors.
Chinese Exporters Use Kosher Certification To Quell Food Safety Concerns
By 1.19.08
Kosher certification is the new darling of health-conscious consumers who misguidedly believe that biblically blessed health standards can reign in the excesses of commercial food production. Even Chinese exporters are betting that kosher certification can convince foreign consumers that their wares are safe. To companies, certification is just a marketing tool: it lends the aura of safety without offering any actual food safety benefits.
Many Chinese companies were unfamiliar with the concept: One furniture maker asked for kosher certification, drawing a polite rebuff. Another facility asked to get certified as kosher even though it was smoking eel on site, a kosher no-no. The company was turned down; it is now building a separate, kosher-only facility.
CPSC Boss: Toys "Are Safer Than They Have Ever Been"
By 1.16.08
Consumer Reports takes issue with some of the statements CPSC chairperson Nancy Nord said in a recent speech:
By 1.15.08
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The FDA’s announcement today that cloned beef and dairy is safe was met with criticism by several consumer groups, which isn’t surprising, and the US Department of Agriculture, which is—they say that food producers should continue to honor a “voluntary moratorium” for the indefinite future…
Make Money At Home Stuffing Supplement Capsules—No Anything Required
By 1.15.08
This personal testimony about health supplements from winstonthorne on today’s earlier post is too good—and disturbing—to leave buried in comments:One of my friends actually stuffs capsules for a living for a company making an herbal “sexual stimulant” – she literally sits there on her…
Eat Cloned Animals, FDA Says
By 1.15.08
According to a soon-to-be released FDA report on cloned animals, the government says it’s safe for you to eat Dolly, Dolly, Dolly and even Dolly. On every single measure of animal healthiness, the FDA analysis of cloned animals found virtually no difference between clones and animals reproduced by normal means.
Hormone-Filled Dietary Supplement Caused Cancer In Two Men, Say Doctors
By 1.15.08
A new article published today in Clinical Cancer Research says that two men “developed aggressive and incurable prostate cancer within months of taking the same supplement.” The doctors examined the supplement and discovered it contained testosterone and estradiol, and “when they tested it on tumor cells in the lab, they found it fueled the growth of prostate cancer cells more potently than testosterone alone.” Either don’t take herbal/hormonal dietary supplements, they urge, or make sure you fully disclose to your doctor what you’re taking.
CPSC's Sole Toy Tester Retires, Nation Chokes On Tears
By 1.12.08
Tragedy struck last week in Washington as the nation’s sole full-time toy tester, Robert L. Hundemer, retired from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Hundemer unwittingly became the symbol of the CPSC’s inability to ensure the safety of the nation’s toys when, during Congressional testimony, CPSC Chair Nancy Nord repeatedly referred to him as “Bob, our small parts guy.”
By 1.12.08
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Wisconsin-based hunting stand company Ardisam Inc. has agreed to pay a $420,000 civil penalty to settle a government lawsuit. In 2004, the company recalled 78,000 hunting tree stands that “unexpectedly detached from trees,” sending hunters tumbling to the ground.
By 1.10.08
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RECALLS: Kash N’ Gold Tinker Bell Novelty Lamps (lead), A.O. Smith Exhaust Fan Electric Motors (fire), Shims Bargain Pacifiers (choking), TJ Promotions Coin Banks (lead), Lowe’s Torchiere Lamps (fire), Honda ATVs (loss of speed control), Intermatic Digital Timers (shock), Pacific Cycle Children’s Trailer Bicycles (can detach from adult bicycle), Canondale Scalpel Mountain Bikes (crashing), Mark’s Quality Meats Beef (E.coli), New Era Mexican-Style Beans (botulism), Raw Oysters Harvested from the West Karako Bay Section of Growing Area 3 in Louisiana (norovirus), Shangai Chaojimengnan (actually Viagra).
CPSC Wants To Make Retailers Test Products They Sell
By 1.8.08
If pending legislation passes, the CPSC may make retailers test their wares, and make retailers legally responsible for the products they sell. CPSC chair Nancy Nord said yesterday at a press conference, “the ultimate responsibility at the end of the day to make sure that their products are safe and if they do not, we will take enforcement activity at the product sellers.”
Do Presidential Candidates Care About Consumer Issues?
By 1.7.08
Most Presidential candidates could not care less about consumer protection, but several have taken a stand on one of the sexier consumer issues: toy safety. Let’s break down where they stand.
This Frozen Publix Chicken Was "Never Frozen"
By 1.7.08
Reader Richard writes to tell us that he found the “never frozen” label hilarious…
Walmart Is Still Selling Recalled Lead-Tainted Bibs
By 1.7.08
Walmart is still selling lead-tainted Baby Connection bibs that were recalled last May. Reader Jeff made the discovery after his wife accidentally purchased two packs of recalled bibs for their 4-month-old daughter while vacationing in the Poconos.
By 1.3.08
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Last year was the safest year to fly in more than four decades, says the private Aircraft Crashes Record Office (ACRO). Hmm—maybe United has just been trying to take the record for safest flights by cancellng them all. [Reuters]
By 12.29.07
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Texas: 14,800 pounds of stolen ground beef may be contaminated with E. coli, says the USDA. So, uh, just for now, don’t buy any ground beef from the back of a truck. [Reuters]
FDA Warning: Chinese "Health Supplements" Contain Undeclared Sildenafil
By 12.29.07
Today the FDA announced that a group of Chinese “health supplements” from Puerto Rican-based Shangai Distributor, Inc., contain undeclared sildenafil, the active drug in Viagra, and are therefore illegal. The supplements are named Super Shangai, Shangai Ultra, Shangai Ultra X, Lady Shangai, and (perhaps the best name of the product line) Strong Testis. Shangai Regular, also known as Shangai Chaojimengnan, was found to have “an unapproved substance with a structure similar to sildenafil that may cause similar side effects and drug interactions,” and is therefore also included on the warning list.
