Last week, we brought you the news that there were two unrelated investigations into bean sprout producers, but no recalls yet. Maybe, we thought, it’s time to put warning labels on sprouts served raw in sandwich shops and salad bars, telling people to eat at their own risk. Now the sprouts involved in both incidents have been formally recalled. [More]
Quality & Safety
New Contact Lens Solution Warnings Mean Fewer Users Getting Peroxide In Their Eyes
By 2.26.16
If anyone ever tries to convince you that life isn’t constantly getting better, remember this: only an average of three people each year since 2012 have stuck contact lenses soaked in hydrogen peroxide in their eyes and caused injuries bad enough to report to the Food and Drug Administration. 61 people did from 2010 to 2011. The reason for this medical miracle? Red plastic. [More]
Florida Man Barred From Selling Unapproved “Natural Herpes Medicine”
By 2.26.16
Five years ago, the Food and Drug Administration first warned a Florida man to stop peddling a supposed cure for herpes until he proved it worked and was safe. He subsequently tweaked the marketing to make it less cure-like, but federal prosecutors say he still went too far in promising his supplement could treat the sexually transmitted disease. [More]
If You’re Still Eating Raw Sprouts, You May Want To Rethink That
By 2.25.16
Sprouts are a tasty addition to a salad, a sandwich, or a stir fry, but they’re also grown in water and usually eaten raw. That makes them excellent vehicles to bring a variety of foodborne pathogens straight from the farm or processing plant to your mouth. Over a year ago, we wondered whether everyone should just stop buying and eating sprouts, and since then, the sprout-growing industry hasn’t done anything to make us change our minds. [More]
Woman Bites Down On Rare Pearl In Her Food While Dining At Her Favorite Italian Restaurant
By 2.25.16
We can’t even begin to count the number of times we’ve heard about someone chomping down on an unexpected item in their food, but usually in those cases, something gross is happening and the customer is upset. One diner in Washington who encountered the unusual in her meal came away from her experience with a much more appetizing prize than usual, however: a rare purple pearl. [More]
Underwriters Laboratories Reveals How It Tests Hoverboard Safety
By 2.24.16
Earlier this month, Underwriters Laboratories announced that for the first time it would start testing and certifying “hoverboards.” However, the independent safety consulting and certification company didn’t actually specify how it would test the self-balancing scooters. [More]
Macadamia Nuts From Target, HyVee, Western Family Recalled For Potential Salmonella Contamination
By 2.23.16
If you’ve bought raw macadamia nuts from a number of retailers across the country, it’s time to check your pantry: nuts sold at retailers including Target, HyVee, Pear’s Gourmet, and independent grocery stores that carry Western Family brands have been recalled because they may be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. Why is it that raw dried nuts keep getting recalled for problems with that one pathogen, anyway? [More]
Hoverboards Vanish From Amazon… Again
By 2.23.16
The list of retailers removing hoverboards from their virtual store shelves after receiving a warning from federal safety regulators grew again today, with Amazon stopping the sale of the self-balancing scooters for the second time. [More]
Mars Recalling Candy In 55 Countries Because Eating Plastic Isn’t So Sweet
By 2.23.16
U.S. candy maker Mars has issued a recall in 55 countries over concerns that some candy bars and other sweet treats might contain an ingredient that isn’t nutty, nougaty, chocolatey, or otherwise delicious: plastic bits. [More]
Target Stops Sale Of Hoverboards Amid Safety Concerns
By 2.23.16
More than two months after Target temporarily halted the sale of “hoverboards” over safety concerns, the retailer is at it again, removing the self-balancing scooters from its website. [More]
Toys ‘R’ Us Stops Selling Hoverboards Amid Safety Questions
By 2.22.16
Just days after federal safety regulators urged retailers and manufacturers to remove so-called hoverboards from their shelves if they don’t meet certain safety standards set by the Underwriters Laboratory, one of the country’s largest toy stores, Toys ‘R’ Us, did just that. [More]
Canned Green Beans Recalled After Church Group Finds Snake Head
By 2.22.16 — Updated: 4.9.17
A church youth group in Utah was cooking meals for the seniors of their community when they found an unexpected ingredient: their leader found a snake’s head among the green beans. The company, Western Family, a supplier of store-brand products, has now announced a recall of that lot of beans, since no customer wants to find the rest of that snake. [More]
Hoverboards That Don’t Comply With UL Safety Standards Now Considered Defective, Hazardous
By 2.19.16
Amid multiple reports of “hoverboard” batteries exploding or catching on fire, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has determined that the self-balancing scooters are not safe unless they meet certain standards. [More]
Maple Syrup Producers Want The FDA To Crack Down On Products With “Maple” On The Label
By 2.17.16
Though you might know that not all breakfast syrups are created equal the folks who produce maple syrup say it isn’t clear that some “maple” flavored food products don’t contain the real thing, despite their labels. [More]
GM Adds Another 200,000 Saab And Saturn Vehicles To Takata Airbag Recall
By 2.16.16
General Motors has discontinued and sold its Saturn and Saab brands, respectively, but announced today that cars from both brands that date as far back as 2003 contain potentially explosive parts from Japanese part-maker Takata. The recall announced today includes a total of 180,000 vehicles in the United States and 20,000 in Canada. [More]
Apple Recalls Some MacBook Chargers, Because They Should Actually Provide Power
By 2.15.16
Having trouble charging your MacBook? You may have one of a “limited number” of charge cables that contain a flaw that can prevent charging now being recalled by Apple. [More]
House Passes Bill Weakening Rules For Menu Calorie Counts In Restaurants
By 2.12.16
Hey, remember how the Food and Drug Administration gave restaurants a yearlong extension on the deadline for getting their act together regarding calorie counts on menus nationwide? They were supposed to get their acts together and post that information on menus nationwide by December of this year. Now, though, a new bill passed in the House of Representatives seeks to change that before eateries are forced to comply. Which wouldn’t be for another few years. [More]
Why Do New Starbucks Drinks Have ‘Chocolatey’ Chips, Not Chocolate?
By 2.10.16
Starbucks introduced a new lineup of seasonal drinks this week, which are chocolate-flavored for Valentine’s Day. Sounds romantic. Yet reader Kelly noticed something when reading a news article about them: the drinks were described as containing “chocolatey chips,” but why not chocolate chips? What makes the chips not chocolate? [More]
