Yesterday, we predicted that more prepared foods that include organic spinach would be recalled in the coming weeks after a Washington state farm told informed its wholesale customers that routine testing had turned up Listeria bacteria in its spinach. While a link between these recalls hasn’t been announced, another all-organic product including spinach has been recalled: Rising Moon Organics frozen ravioli. [More]
Quality & Safety
Blue Bell Expands Recall After More Samples Test Positive For Listeria Contamination
By 3.24.15
Blue Bell Creameries expanded a recent recall of products after tests found additional products may be linked to an outbreak of listeriosis that resulted in at least three deaths. [More]
Brace Yourselves For A Frozen Organic Spinach Recallapalooza
By 3.23.15
When food items with ingredients in common that were sold at multiple retailers are recalled because of the same food-borne pathogen, that’s a sign that the source may be that ingredient that they have in common. Three recent recalls from Amy’s, Wegmans, and Costco show that it may be wise for people who are young, old, sick, or pregnant to stay away from organic spinach. [More]
Report: Apples, Not Caramel Deemed Responsible For December Listeriosis Outbreak
By 3.20.15
A December outbreak of listeriosis linked to several kinds of prepackaged caramel apples may be over, but regulators say they now know it was the apple, not the caramel that led to the death of seven people and the sickening of 35 others. [More]
5 Food Prep Tips For Reducing Pesticide Risks
By 3.20.15
When you buy a sack of potatoes with dirt still clinging to the spuds, you know they’ll need a wash before going into your dinner. But those completely clean-looking apples, peaches, and strawberries may carry a less-visible danger in the form of pesticide residues. [More]
Graco Agrees To Pay $3M Fine For Delayed Reporting Of Car Seat-Buckle Complaints
By 3.20.15
After Graco recalled about six million car seats last year in two sets of recalls because the harness’ buckles could get stuck, the company has now agreed to shell out $3 million to the government for being slow to report complaints about the tricky buckles. [More]
CDC Links Listeriosis Illnesses To Fruit Recalled In July 2014
By 3.19.15
Last summer, a California-based fruit packing company recalled all fruit that had passed through their plant during a six-week period, since they were potentially contaminated with Listeria bacteria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have definitively linked fruits from the Wawona plant and cases of Listeriosis in different parts of the country, but what does that mean? should people who are pregnant or frail avoid fresh peaches and nectarines? [More]
Wegmans Recalls Walnut Halves & Pieces Over Possible Salmonella Contamination
By 3.19.15
On the heels of Trader Joe’s recalling walnuts over salmonella concerns, grocery store chain Wegmans is also pulling a product with walnut pieces and halves from the shelves due to possible contamination. [More]
Bill Would Ban Marketing, Sale Of Electronic Cigarettes To Minors; Create Regulations On Packages & Labeling
By 3.19.15
Earlier this month a new study found that it was increasingly easy for teens to purchase e-cigarettes despite a plethora of laws prohibiting the sale of such products to minors. Today, a group of Senators are taking action to make it more difficult for minors to purchase the products by creating restrictions on sales and marketing of e-cigarettes. [More]
Honda Expands Takata Airbag Recall… Again
By 3.19.15
While five major car manufactures have recalled millions of vehicles with Takata-produced airbags in the last year, Honda has by far been the most affected. And today, the car company continued to distance itself from other automakers by recalling more than 100,000 additional vehicles that may contain the airbags known to spew pieces of shrapnel at drivers and passengers upon deployment. [More]
Kraft Recalls 242,000 Cases That May Contain Macaroni And Cheese And Metal Shards
By 3.18.15
Back in 2012, store-brand macaroni and cheese was recalled because it might have contained pieces of metal, leading us to call it “Mac ‘N’ Cheese ‘N’ Metal Shards.” Now a brand-name version of that product is available, since Kraft has recalled 242,000 cases of its signature boxed macaroni and cheese. It could possibly contain small pieces of metal, which is not an appropriate spice to add to macaroni and cheese. [More]
Trader Joe’s Recalls Walnuts Over Salmonella Concerns
By 3.17.15
If you’ve got some raw walnuts from Trader Joe’s sitting in your pantry, you should check the label because they might be among those nuts recalled for possible Salmonella contamination. [More]
Big Data Is Here To Stay. So Can We Use It To Make Recalls Actually Work?
By 3.16.15
Sometimes products are unsafe. From bacteria-filled food to shrapnel-shooting airbags, on occasion even the most conscientious company will find itself needing to recall a product if it turns out to be harmful to consumers. But recalls are a big pain in the butt all around. One of the biggest issues? Actually letting consumers know that the stuff in their hands or on their shelves has, in fact, actually been recalled. [More]
Health Officials Link Blue Bell Ice Cream Products To Listeriosis Outbreak; Company Recalls Treats
By 3.16.15
Three months after candy apples contaminated with Listeria bacteria were linked to seven deaths, another sweet treat may contain the bacteria and could be a contributing factor in at least three deaths. [More]
Kia Recalls 200,000 Soul Compact Cars Because Gas Pedals Shouldn’t Break In Half
By 3.13.15
The accelerator pedal might just be one of the more important components of a vehicle, so when reports start surfacing that the pedal might break or bend, that’s kind of a big deal. Such is the case for more than 200,000 Kia Soul vehicles that are now subject to a safety recall. [More]
Lawsuit That Brought GM Ignition Switch Defect To Light Settled For Second Time
By 3.13.15
The lawsuit filed by the family of a Georgia woman who died in a 2010 car accident that spurred the recall of 2.5 million General Motors vehicles with faulty ignition switches has been settled out of court. [More]
NHTSA Chief Says Takata More “Forthcoming” With Investigation, Senators Send Letter Urging Cooperation
By 3.13.15
A week after Japanese auto parts maker Takata said it would double its production of replacement airbags and three weeks after U.S. federal regulators began imposing a $14,000 per day fine against the company, the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the company is being more forthcoming with information related to an investigation into millions of defective airbags. [More]
Study: Raising Legal Age To Buy Cigarettes To 21 Would Result In Fewer Smokers
By 3.12.15
By this point everyone can agree that smoking is harmful to your health, and yet there are still new smokers starting up the habit year after year. A new study from the Institute of Medicine says that swell in numbers could be curbed by raising the legal age to buy cigarettes to 21. [More]
