By now we should all know that once a product has been formally recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, it is illegal for a retailer to sell that item – or to distribute that item to other stores. Yet, there have been several cases in which that rule isn’t followed, leading to stiff fines for the stores. The latest case involves national retailer Meijer paying $2 million in penalties for the continued distribution of 12 recalled products. [More]
Quality & Safety
Toyota Recalls 20,000 Vehicles Due To Possible Fuel Leaks
By 9.18.14
Well, it’s been about four hours since we posted an automotive recall, so apparently it’s time again. Today, Toyota announced that it is recalling 20,000 cars with 2GR-FE engines, which include the 2014 Toyota Avalon, Camry, Highlander and Sienna, and the 2015 Lexus RX. The cars may leak fuel, which in turn poses a risk of fire. [More]
Can’t Make It Up: GM Recalls Vans For Explosion Risk, Fiat Recalls Cars For Leg Airbag Irregularities
By 9.18.14
The only time I want to see a car blow up is in an action movie where it’s filled with bad guys. I don’t want to see a van driving down the highway burst into flames because of a natural gas leak. That’s probably why General Motors issued yet another recall Thursday, just a few hours after Fiat Chrysler announced the recall of several thousand cars because of an issue with leg airbags. [More]
Thieves Steal 1.4 Tons Of Cheese Contaminated With Listeria
By 9.17.14
Listen, if there’s anyone out there who understands the lure of wheel upon wheel of beautiful cheese, it’s me. Cheese is my significant other, so I get it. But thieves in Liechtenstein are barking up a very dangerous tree by swiping 1.4 tons of cheese contaminated with harmful bacteria. That cheese is sadly, meant for no one. [More]
Ground Black Pepper Recalled In All 50 States For Possible Salmonella Contamination
By 9.17.14
Nothing gives a meal the right kick quite like a little ground black pepper. That is, unless the spice comes with a little salmonella, in which case we want nothing to do with it because it’s being recalled by the case load. [More]
Here’s Why American Stores Refrigerate Eggs While Some Other Countries Don’t
By 9.12.14
At the sight of an egg sitting on an unrefrigerated store shelf, many Americans would shudder and think, “Well, that can’t be very safe because we keep our eggs nice and chilled and America is No. 1.” But are those foreign countries wrong and are we right? How can it be safe to keep eggs either chilled or at room temperature? [More]
GM Official Says They’re Kinda, Sorta, Almost Probably Done Recalling Cars
By 9.11.14
Over the past nine months General Motors has recalled nearly 30 million vehicles for one reason or another, and it doesn’t sound like the car manufacturer is quite done. [More]
Swedish Manufacturer Announces Recall Of One Car For Tire Defect
By 9.9.14
Million-car recalls are so last month. In a year marred by vehicle safety issues, one Swedish car manufacturer issued what is likely the smallest recall of 2014: One vehicle. [More]
September Food And Supplement Recall Roundup – Salmonella Is Not A Superfood
By 9.8.14
In our September Recall Roundup for food, there could be walnuts lurking in the spinach, eggs in the frozen desserts, and Salmonella in pretty much every kind of food. [More]
Feds Pushing States To Lower The Drunk Driving Threshold To 0.05 BAC
By 9.4.14
Having a glass of wine with dinner and thinking about driving? That might be a bit more of a gamble in the future, as the National Transportation Safety Board is lobbying states to reduce their thresholds for drunk driving from the national standard of 0.08 blood alcohol concentration to 0.05. [More]
Perdue Stops Using Antibiotics In Chicken Hatcheries
By 9.3.14
There’s some good news for a change for those concerned about the rampant use of antibiotics in animal feed. Perdue, the nation’s most well-known chicken producer claims that 95% of its chickens will now be antibiotic-free (sort of) after removing all antibiotics from chicken hatcheries. [More]
Thousands Of Jars Of Parmesan Cheese Recalled Because No One Wants Salmonella With Their Spaghetti
By 9.3.14
If you were thinking of making a batch of spaghetti for dinner, complete with a heaping helping of 4C-branded Parmesan cheese, you might get more than you bargained for – salmonella. [More]
Food Industry Initiative Highlights How Little The FDA Knows About What’s In Our Food
By 8.28.14
For decades, the food industry has been able to use ingredients that are “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) without approval from the FDA. When first used in the ’50s, this was intended to apply to ingredients, like vegetable oils and vinegars, where an additive’s safety is common knowledge, but in 1997, a backlogged FDA allowed food companies to merely submit their GRAS findings instead of the supporting data, creating a loophole the food industry has exploited to include a vast number of chemical ingredients that manufacturers claim are safe but which don’t go through a rigorous approval process. Feeling pressure from the public to pull back the veil on the GRAS process and its ingredients, the food industry announced a transparency initiative yesterday that may be a step in the right direction, but highlights just how little the FDA seems to care about the “F” part of its name. [More]
ConAgra May Face Federal Misdemeanor Charges For 2007 Tainted Peanut Butter Case
By 8.27.14
Do you remember what you ate eight years ago? The government does. Maybe. People who filed recall claims for Peter Pan or Great Value (Walmart) peanut butters that were recalled in 2007 received a letter this week notifying them that they were victims of a crime. A crime? Yes, ConAgra Foods may face misdemeanor charges for its role in a salmonella outbreak that made hundreds of people ill. [More]
19,000 Suzuki Sedans Recalled Due To Spider Infestation Risk
By 8.27.14
Today, Suzuki announced the recall of with fuel lines that are somehow irresistible to spiders. The spiders build webs in the cars’ fuel lines, which lead to negative pressure in the fuel tank and can crack fuel lines, which in turn could lead to fires. Yes, spiders could be trying to set fire to your car, garage, and home. [More]
Woman Upset That Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cereal Came With The Extra Crunch Of A Dead Mouse
By 8.27.14
First things first: If you don’t want to see a deceased rodent lying atop a bed of cereal, don’t click on any of the links in the below post. Because when a woman poured her grandson some Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes and saw a dead mouse fall out, she made sure to take a photo as proof. [More]
Hewlett-Packard Recalls Nearly 6 Million Power Cords Because Melting Doesn’t Charge The Computer
By 8.26.14
Computer power cords are meant to provide juice to your device; they aren’t meant to melt or catch fire. So when that happens, it’s time for a recall. Such is the case for Hewlett-Packard. [More]
August Recall Roundup – Beware Of Toppling Bar Stools
By 8.26.14
In the Recall Roundup for August, dangerous beanbag chairs and overheating heaters could lurk around every corner, and there could be a defective car in your garage right now. Don’t be scared, though. The CPSC is here to protect us all from toppling bar stools and overheating night lights. [More]
