Here at Consumerist, we’re used to that moment when expectations come crashing into conflict with reality, that sigh of disappointment over a product that’s failed to live up to its packaging or marketing photos. It’s not that it’s all that surprising, it’s just that it makes us sad. [More]
Quality & Safety
Disappointing Milky Way Brownie Is Latest Entrant In Packaging Vs. Reality Hall Of Sadness
By 5.23.16
Massive Frozen Vegetable Recall May Not Be So Bad Because People Cook Vegetables
By 5.20.16
Have you gone through all of the frozen vegetables and packaged food in your house to ensure that they aren’t on the list of items potentially contaminated by Listeria in an outbreak dating back to 2013? Yeah, me either, and I don’t even have a lot of frozen vegetables. That’s what public health officials are worried about: that people won’t check their freezers and could get sick years from now, with Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne illness that is especially dangerous. [More]
Those Updated Nutrition Labels On All Your Packaged Food Are Finally Happening
By 5.20.16
It’s something most of us learned to do decades ago: you see an inviting package on the supermarket shelf. You pick it up, have a look at the front to see if you might like that flavor, and then flip it over to stare intently at the familiar white nutrition label on the back. Well now, finally, after much hemming and hawing, those nutrition labels are getting an overdue upgrade. [More]
Lawsuit Accuses Cheez-It Of Falsely Advertising “Whole Grain” Crackers
By 5.19.16
What does it mean for a food to be labeled “whole grain”? Even if there is no official standard for that term, do you expect that a whole grain version of a product would be healthier than the original? [More]
New Legislation Tries To Clear Up Confusion Over “Sell By,” “Best By” & Other Expiration Dates
By 5.17.16
Stroll around your favorite supermarket and you’ll see a cornucopia of deadlines stamped and printed on your food. That carton of milk says “Sell By,” the box of mac and cheese says “Best Before,” and the jar of horseradish has a “Use By,” none of which are official or necessarily an indicator of safety or quality, resulting in millions of pounds of food being wasted every year based on sometimes arbitrary dates. New legislation coming this week in both the House and Senate hopes to clear up the confusion over the many expiration date labels you find on food. [More]
FDA: Keep Your Dogs Away From Gum, Nut Butters Containing Xylitol
By 5.13.16
The Food & Drug Administration is issuing a stricter warning for dog owners against xylitol, a common sweetener that’s found in many gum products as well as some nut butters, because it can “can have devastating effects on your pet.” [More]
Payless Pulls Light-Up Sneakers After Report Of Pair Catching On Fire
By 5.11.16
If you’re planning to shop for a pair of boys light-up shoes you might want to skip Payless ShoeSource, as the retailer has pulled the footwear while fire officials in Texas investigate a fire that may be linked to the sneakers. [More]
New Rules Will Shed Dim Light On Antibiotics Overuse In Farm Animals
By 5.10.16
Even though three-quarters of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used on farm animals, there is very little information available about how much of which drugs are being fed to cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys. Newly finalized rules hope to provide more details on how these drugs are being used, but critics say the new data is only a small part of the bigger picture. [More]
Chipotle Accused CDC Of Scaring Customers With Updates On E. Coli Outbreak
By 5.10.16
In the wake of outbreaks of E. coli and norovirus, Chipotle has made a relatively public display of its efforts to improve — giving away free food while implementing new safety standards. However, the burrito chain believes that one federal agency’s constant updates about these outbreaks ultimately resulted in customers fretting too much about food safety. [More]
FDA To Reconsider Definition Of “Healthy” On Food Labels
By 5.10.16
When you see a some food marketed as “healthy” or “natural,” do you know exactly what, if anything, those terms mean? The Food and Drug Administration has decided to rethink its requirements for what it takes to market a product as “healthy,” while advocates and lawmakers are pushing the agency to define “natural” in a way that more people would understand. [More]
Frozen Vegetable Recall Expands Again, Covers 16 More Products Sold Nationally
By 5.10.16
The massive frozen vegetable recall linked to a listeria outbreak that has so far resulted in two deaths and eight illnesses, has once again expanded. According to notices posted with the Food & Drug Administration, NORPAC Foods recalled Natural Directions Organics Mixed Vegetables and Natural Directions Organic Green Peas, while Picsweet issued a recall of 14 varieties of frozen vegetables that contain green beans or green peas from supplier CRF Frozen Foods. The vast vegetable recall kicked off two weeks ago when CRF announced the voluntary call back of frozen organic and traditional fruit and vegetable products manufactured or processed at its Washington facility since May 1, 2014 after finding traces of listeria in the food. [Food & Drug Administration] [More]
Company Recalling 180K Pacifiers & Clips Due To Choking Hazard
By 5.9.16
As any parent knows, pacifiers have a way of disappearing from the mouths of babies and winding up lost or coated in a fine layer of yuck under the couch. So clips that tether the soothing devices to their users can be very convenient — as long as all the pieces involved in the clip stay where they should. [More]
Pilgrim’s Pride Expands Recall Of Contaminated Chicken Products
By 5.9.16
If you’ve already checked the list of products affected by a recent Pilgrim’s Pride recall involving chicken items possibly contaminated with bits of plastic, metal, wood, and rubber, you might want to check it again. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety & Inspection service has expanded the nearly five million-pound recall list to include additional products. Check the full list here. [More]
Massive Frozen Vegetable Recall Linked To 2 Deaths, 8 Illnesses
By 5.6.16
Federal health and safety regulators have opened an investigation into a listeria outbreak related to the recent recall of more than 350 different varieties and brands of frozen vegetables after eight people from three states — two who later died — became infected with strains of the bacteria. [More]
FDA Bans Sale Of E-Cigarettes To Minors; Requires Health Warnings
By 5.5.16
After a prolonged, seven-year process of drafting regulations for e-cigarettes, the Food and Drug Administration has finalized rules that treat e-cigs, hookah tobacco, pipe tobacco, and premium cigars the same as traditional cigarettes and cigars. [More]
Sunflower Seeds, Snacks, And Salads Recalled For Possible Listeria Contamination
By 5.5.16
Whenever we forget how interconnected the American food system is, a recall of a single basic ingredient happens to remind us. Today, the pathogen is Listeria, and the basic food item is sunflower seeds. They’re a tasty snack item by themselves, as well as a common ingredient in trail mixes and a crunchy salad topping. Seeds from a single supplier may be contaminated, and now everything from kale salads to trail mix flavored candy have been recalled. [More]
Overheated iPhone Burns Through 12 Pages Of Notebook Paper
By 5.4.16
Mobile phones are our constant companions, yet it’s easy to forget that they’re electronic devices packed full of delicate components and tiny but powerful rechargeable batteries. The Cherry Hill, NJ fire department says that this resident’s iPhone 6 overheated and burned through 12 pages of a notebook. [More]
CRF Frozen Foods Recalls Everything Processed At WA Plant Since May 2014 Due To Possible Listeria
By 5.3.16
Last week, we learned that vegetables produced by CRF Frozen foods and sold under national and store brands had been recalled due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a dangerous foodborne pathogen. The company expanded the recall to include all frozen fruits and vegetables processed at its plant in Pasco, WA since May of 2014. That includes 358 different varieties of frozen fruits and veggies sold under 42 brand names sold in all 50 states. It’s a lot of food. [More]
