It seems that more than a few people in Washington have had just about enough of Nancy Nord and her whole “No, don’t make my agency regulate the industry its supposed to regulate” thing. Nancy has come out against currently proposed legislation that would give the CPSC both more money and more power, because she says it would make consumers “less safe” by overwhelming her office with complaints about trivial stuff.
Quality & Safety
By 10.31.07
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Counterfeit “Square D” Circuit Breakers (fire), Oki Data Americas C9600 Digital Color Printers (shock), Target Recalls Home Patio Sets (falling), President’s Choice Chocolate Chunk Brownie Cookie (undeclared milk).
China Arrests 774 People Over Safety Issues
By 10.30.07
China has arrested nearly 800 people over the past two months in a “nationwide crackdown on the production and sale of tainted food, drugs and agricultural products,” writes the New York Times. The country announced the number officially today on their website, but did not provide details on the violations involved. The announcement is part of a larger campaign to not only rehabilitate China’s image around the world, but to address concerns that its domestic products are even less likely to be safe.
USDA Says Defunct Canadian Meatpacker Was Source Of Recent E.coli Beef Contaminations
By 10.30.07
The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service has used “DNA fingerprints” to trace the source of recent U.S. outbreaks of contaminated beef back to one shoddy supplier in Alberta, Canada. The company most likely responsible is Rancher’s Beef, Ltd, which went out of business on August 15th, but not before helping sink Topps and contributing to nearly 100 illnesses in the U.S. and Canada.
McDonald's Forgets The "Angus Burger" Part Of Mushroom And Swiss Angus Burger
By 10.29.07
Not that we’d ever spent very much time thinking about it, but we were sort of under the impression that when making cheeseburgers, the cheese-type toppings are placed on the burger to melt while still on the grill, right before it is done.
California Police Seize 375 Pounds Of Bathtub Cheese
By 10.27.07
Meet Floribel Hernandez Cuenca and Manuel Martin. California police arrested the pair on “felony cheese making charges” after they tried to sell 375 pounds of bathtub cheese at an open-air market in San Bernardino. Bathtub cheese, otherwise known as “illegal soft cheese,” can cause a range of maladies including listeria, salmonella, and everybody’s favorite gut goblin, E. coli.
The 375 pounds of seized illegal cheese included panela, queso fresco and queso oxaca varieties, the [California Department of Food and Agriculture] says. It was a significant find, the department says.
Recalled Simplicity Crib Owners: Your Repair Kits Are Ready
By 10.27.07
If you have one of the Simplicity cribs that was recalled due to a design flaw that made it easy to assemble incorrectly and dangerous to use, your repair kits are ready.
CPSC Chair Thinks Senate Bill Would Overwhelm The Agency
By 10.26.07
Nancy Nord thinks a new Senate bill that would increase the budget and power of the CPSC would overwhelm the agency and “put the American people at greater risk,” according to the Washington Post.
How To Avoid Staph
By 10.26.07
Now that MSRA, or methicillin-resistant staph, has taken the lead as America’s Worst Infection, killing more people annually than AIDS, it’s a good time to learn a little more about how to avoid it, how to identify it, and what to do if you suspect you have it. The New York Times offers a brief, helpful article about the topic, answering questions like “What can I do to lower my risk of catching it?” and “Where does it lurk?”
By 10.26.07
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Blue Ribbons Meats in Florida is recalling over 8,000 pounds of “seasoned beef and meatloaf” frozen patties due to suspected E.coli contamination, although no illnesses have been reported yet. The patties were shipped to a Florida correctional institution and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This is the fifth E.coli-related recall this month. [Reuters]
Bumbo Baby Seats Recalled After 3 Children Sustain Skull Fractures
By 10.25.07
Here’s some very tense video from Good Morning America.
By 10.25.07
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Bumbo “Baby Sitter” Seats (severe head injuries), Repair Kits Ready To Be Sent To Parents and Caregivers With Recalled Simplicity Cribs (entrapment and suffocation), Family Dollar Purple Halloween Pails with Witch Decorations (lead), DecoPac Football Bobble Head Cake Decorations (lead), Jo-Ann Fabric Stores Toy Garden Tools (lead), Fisher Price Go Diego Go Boat Toys (lead), Dollar Tree Beary Cute, Expressions, and Sassy & Chic Children’s Metal Jewelry (lead), WeGlow Children’s Metal Jewelry (lead), Blastrac BG 250 Series Concrete Grinders (injury from ejected parts), Kawasaki Power Tool Kits Battery Chargers (burn, laceration), Blue Ribbon Meats Beef Patties (E. coli).
A Bunch Of Groups Compromise On State Meat Inspections
By 10.25.07
From the “boring but important” category of meat-related news, the Consumer Federation of America has joined with other advocacy groups as well as union and labor groups, under the assistance of men and women in Congress, to work out a compromise in response to July’s ill-conceived attempt by Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson to do away with the federal inspections requirement for interstate meat sales. The new plan augments Peterson’s measure in a way that ensures state-inspection procedures meet or exceed federal ones.
See All CPSC Toy Recalls On One Page
By 10.25.07
So the CPSC is always recalling all sorts of crap, like the surprising candles which could lead to fire, or the snowboards which could lead to falling, but as a concerned parent, all you care about is the toys. The freakin’ toys. The ones with the lead and the chokey parts. Well, even though their website coder probably doubles as the meatloaf server at lunchtime, they’ve got a catchall page that is your go-to spot for all the toy hazard related recalls. Just memorize the simple URL: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html.
How Topps Hamburger Overproduced Themselves Out Of Business
By 10.24.07
The demand for frozen hamburger patties is overwhelming! Shoppers just can’t get enough of cheap frozen hamburgers.
By 10.24.07
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Home Automation 64 Zone Wireless Receivers (failure to receive security signal), Toyota Siennas (faulty door lock).
By 10.24.07
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If you’re doing holiday shopping online but want to know where your toys are made before you buy them, check out the list at FatBrainToys. They don’t sell things like Bratz or Hot Wheels, but if you’re in the market for unique (sometimes even “educational”) toys, it’s a good place to start. [FatBrainToys.com]
By 10.23.07
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Game Pieces Sold with “Cars” Backpacks (choking), Reynolds Bicycle Forks (falling), previously repaired Cybex Treadmills (fire), 2006 Line X-Fly and Line Pro Ski Boards (falling).
