When you buy a dietary supplement, you never know quite what you’re getting, because supplement manufacturers don’t have to prove to the Food and Drug Administration that their products work — or are even safe — before putting them on the market. GNC, the world’s largest dietary supplement retailer, has now agreed to try to ramp up efforts to ensure that the products it sells are safe and legal. [More]
Quality & Safety
Apple Says iPhone Fires In China Are From “External Factors,” Not The Device
By 12.7.16
In the wake of Samsung’s massive, confusing recall of Galaxy Note 7 devices that could smoke, catch fire, and explode, consumers around the world are drawing attention to similar issues with other smartphones, including some battery fires with iPhones in China. However, Apple contends that these thermal incidents have nothing to do with the design of its signature phone. [More]
Target Reissues Menorah Recall Over The Wrong Kind Of Fire Concerns
By 12.7.16
This Hanukkah, you’ll want to gather around the table with your family to light the menorah. While you want there to be flickering flames, what you definitely do not want is a melted candelabrum melting all over your holiday decor. [More]
Philip Morris Applies To Bring Heated-Up Tobacco Sticks To U.S.
By 12.6.16
You might remember that a few months ago, we shared some interesting smoking news: that Philip Morris was working on a new product that’s somewhere between an e-cigarette and an old-fashioned tobacco one. Instead of lighting tobacco on fire, users would heat it up in a special device, inhaling a vapor instead of smoke. The company plans to apply for FDA approval for the system, seeking approval to sell it as a healthier alternative to cigarettes. [More]
JetBlue Asks Court To Throw Out Lawsuit Over Misplaced 5-Year-Old
By 12.6.16
More than three months after losing track of an unaccompanied minor and sending him to an airport in an entirely different city than his intended destination, JetBlue is arguing that an international treaty prohibits the mother from bringing a lawsuit against the airline. [More]
Why It’s A Problem That Gene For Drug-Resistant Superbug Was Found On U.S. Farm
By 12.6.16
Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria are nothing new on U.S. farms, so why are some people so concerned about the recent discovery, on an American pig farm, of a gene that confers resistance to a vital class of antibiotics? [More]
Chipotle CEO “Not Satisfied” With Quality Of Customer “Experience” In Some Restaurants
By 12.6.16
As Chipotle closes the books on its second consecutive year of bad headlines and sagging sales, the company’s founder and co-CEO Steve Ells says the burrito chain still has “a long way to go” to recover from its food-safety crisis. In particular, he notes that Chipotle has forgotten about providing the best customer service. [More]
Apple Blames “Ambient Air” For iPhone 6S Battery Problem
By 12.6.16
A few weeks ago, Apple admitted that some iPhone 6S batteries were not working properly, causing the phones to shut down suddenly during otherwise normal use, and launched a repair program for affected consumers. But Apple hadn’t said why the batteries weren’t working properly… until this week, when it blamed the problem on air. Yes, literally air. [More]
Google’s New ‘Trusted Contacts’ App Lets Users Keep Tabs On Friends, Family
By 12.5.16
Two years after Facebook added a safety check feature to let users notify family and friends they were safe after a disaster or public tragedy, Google is following suit, launching its own standalone personal safety app. [More]
Amid Rash Complaints, American Airlines Flight Attendants Want New Uniforms Recalled
By 12.2.16
After months of many American Airlines flight attendants complaining that their new uniforms are giving them hives, rashes, and headaches, a union that represents the workers is pushing the company to issue a full recall of all the uniforms. [More]
Ford Recalls 680K Vehicles Because Seatbelts Are Supposed To Work
By 12.2.16
Seatbelts, they can save lives in the event of a crash. However, in order for that to be a possibility, the devices have to actually work, and that apparently isn’t a certainty in more than 680,000 vehicles being recalled by Ford. [More]
Trader Joe’s Hummus Recalled For Possible Listeria Contamination
By 12.1.16
After the recall of a wide array of Sabra hummus products and sandwiches and veggie platters that used that hummus, another brand of the tasty chickpea dip has been recalled for possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. Two varieties of Trader Joe’s hummus distributed in eight states have been recalled because they may also be affected. [More]
Big Olive Oil Accuses Dr. Oz Of Disparagement
By 12.1.16
The “Dr. Oz effect” usually refers to the popular talk show host’s ability to turn unproven “miracle cures” and weight loss fads into instant successes, but fortunes can swing the other way when the Great and Doctorful Oz says not-nice things about a product. [More]
Big Tobacco Opening Stores To Teach People How To Vape
By 12.1.16
While millions of people remain hooked on traditional cigarettes, the tobacco industry knows that its future is increasingly becoming smokeless. Just yesterday, the CEO of Philip Morris admitted that his company could someday cease making cigarettes altogether. So it makes sense that some tobacco giants are now opening stores to promote and teach people how to use these new products. [More]
Hacker’s Company Handing Out Code That Can Turn Any Car Into A Self-Driving Vehicle
By 12.1.16
Does making a product free mean you don’t have to answer to authorities who might come knocking later? One experienced hacker seems to think his startup can avoid liability while giving away code for a software kit to convert cars into self-driving vehicles. [More]
Consumer Advocates Sue Government Over Long Wait For New Automobile Safety Features
By 11.30.16
Earlier this year, federal vehicle safety regulators reached a voluntary agreement with nearly two dozen car manufacturers to make forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking features standard in their cars starting in 2022. But some consumer safety advocates believe this is too long a wake and have gone to court in the hope of pressing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into taking more immediate action. [More]
Gree Re-Announces 2013 Dehumidifier Recall Linked To $19M In Property Damage
By 11.30.16
Federal safety regulators are hoping the fourth time is the charm for millions of recalled dehumidifiers that have now been linked to 450 fires and more than $19 million in property damage: Gree Electric Appliances — the manufacturer fined a record $15.45 million over the fiery dehumidifiers earlier this year — has re-announced the recall. [More]
Chicago Doesn’t Even Have Half The Health Inspectors Needed To Inspect High-Risk Restaurants
By 11.29.16
While it might be reassuring to see a sign posted in your favorite restaurant or other food establishment that it’s earned the approval of the city health department, that doesn’t necessarily mean health inspectors have actually been by recently to do their job. [More]
