The FDA noted fresh-cut or prepackaged produce like spinach, lettuce and fruit is the fastest-growing segment of the $12 billion annual produce industry.
Quality & Safety
FDA Introduces Fresh-Cut Produce Guidelines
By 3.12.07
Salmonella Peanut Butter Still Stalking Nation’s Children
By 3.9.07 — Updated: 12.14.16
People. You need to toss your Peter Pan or Great Value brand peanut butter if the jar says “2111” on it. The plant that produced the peanut butter has been closed for 3 weeks, but cases of salmonella linked to the peanut butter continue to rise.
Fisher-Price Fined $975,000 for Failing to Report a Serious Choking Hazard With A Popular Toy
By 3.5.07
Over the next two months, Fisher-Price received nine additional reports, including one case of a child placing the nail fastener in her mouth.
FDA to Review Children's Cold Remedies
By 3.2.07
The agency has for decades promised to review systematically the safety of all old drugs, but for a variety of reasons like budgetary constraints, time and popularity of a particular drug has not done so.
We, like the reader who sent this story in, find it troubling that “popularity” is a factor in deciding whether or not to review the safety of a drug. The New York Times doesn’t explain in detail what is meant by this quote, but we’re hard pressed to think of any explanations that would make us say, “Wow, that’s really awesome.”
Consumer Reports On Baroody Nomination
By 3.2.07
Consumer Reports weighs in on Bush’s nomination of Michael Baroody, former National Association of Manufacturer’s (NAM) spokesman (emphasis added):
Michael Baroody Gets CPSC Nomination Nod, White House Confirms
By 3.1.07
The White House broke its press blackout and confirmed that Bush intends to nominate Michael Baroody for chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, WSJ online reported today at 5:20 pm.
100,000 ThinkPad Batteries Recalled Due To Fire Hazard
By 3.1.07
The CPSC has announced the recall of 100,000 ThinkPad extended life batteries. “If the battery in the laptop is struck forcefully on the corner, such as from a direct fall to the ground, the battery pack can overheat and pose a fire hazard to users. This is not an internal battery cell defect.” Lenovo has received 4 reports of batteries overheating and damaging the notebook. There have been no injuries except “in one case, minor eye irritation to one consumer.”
FDA Approves Drug For Carsick Dogs
By 3.1.07
The FDA said the drug, Cerenia, is the first to prevent and treat vomiting in dogs. When used in tablet form, the Pfizer Inc. drug can prevent vomiting associated with motion sickness, the FDA said. The agency also approved an injectable form of the drug, known generically as maropitant citrate, that it said can prevent and treat acute vomiting due to chemotherapy, parvovirus, kidney disease, pancreatitis and other causes.
Lead Prompts Recall Of Children's Necklaces, Earrings, And Rings
By 2.25.07
Kmart and Big Lots! are voluntarily recalling 121,000 necklaces, earrings, and rings that contain lead. This stunning announcement is sure to devastate Valentine sweethearts in pre-schools across the nation.
Recall: Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich Chicken Infected With Listeria
By 2.24.07
Kraft foods is recalling all Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich chicken breast strips on fears they may be infected with Listeria monocytogenes.
Dean, US's #1 Milk Company, Says "No" To Milk From Cloned Cows
By 2.23.07
From Forbes:
Milk from cloned cows is no longer welcome at the nation’s biggest milk company.
Massive Pound-And-A-Half Rats Infest KFC/Taco Bell In The West Village
By 2.23.07
CBS 2 cameras caught dozens of them early Friday morning through the window of this closed KFC-Taco Bell in the West Village.
Smokey Bear Says 5-Light Multi-colored Floor Lamps Cause Campus Fires
By 2.22.07
SUNY Fredonia warns a cheap decorative lamp is setting dorm rooms on fire. Pretty, inexpensive lamps like these can often be found in college dorms and studio apartments.
In two separate student rooms, the plastic shades melted on the lamps. In one room, this caused the build-up of toxic fumes and the melted plastic from the shade burned a hole in the bedspread. The second instance involved another student who had turned on the lamp and, within 15 minutes, the shade melted and the heat began to turn a poster on the wall brown.
Underwriters Laboratories, the group that certifies that things won’t burn down dorms and studio apartments, believes the lamp in question is different from the one they approved. They are withholding their seal from new lamps, effectively shutting down production.
Recall: E. Coli in Mushrooms From BJ's Warehouse
By 2.22.07
BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc. said Tuesday it was recalling packages of fresh mushrooms after it a routine inspection revealed the possible presence of the deadly bacteria E. coli.
Bush Expected To Nominate Industry Lobbyist To Head CPSC
By 2.18.07
The President plans to install Baroody over President’s Day weekend as a recess appointment. The recess appointment, which is usually reserved at the end of a session or during the Senate’s summer recess, will be effective until the adjournment of the 110th Congress in 2008. After that, if the Senate doesn’t confirm the nominee, the position again becomes vacant.
Recall: Salmonella In Dole Cantaloupes
By 2.17.07
The Dole Fresh Fruit Company recalled several thousand cartons of imported cantaloupes after the fruit tested positive for salmonella. The recall, which covers the eastern United States and the Canadian province of Quebec, is the second prompted by salmonella fears this week. Dole said there had been no reports of illness as a result of the contaminated cantaloupes, which were grown in Costa Rica.
Recall: Salmonella In Peter Pan Peanut Butter
By 2.15.07
Lids of jars with a product code beginning “2111” can be returned to ConAgra for a refund, the company said.
