As a country, we sure do like our prescription painkillers. In fact, we like them a bit too much: Americans consume 99% of all hydrocodone drugs manufactured in the world. Prescription drug abuse — and deaths from overdose — are rampant. The DEA is hoping to stem the tide of abuse and overdose with a new rule that changes the way some painkillers are classified, and will make them harder for individuals to get. [More]
Quality & Safety
90,000 Pounds Of Caesar Salad Kits Sold At Sam’s Club Recalled Because Listeria Isn’t A Tasty Ingredient
By 8.22.14
When you’re in a rush and don’t have time to gather all the ingredients to a salad, grabbing a pre-made kit might seem like a convenient and healthy idea. That is unless that salad kit comes with a little something extra – let’s say, maybe, listeria. Doesn’t sound so appetizing, now does it? [More]
Brita Recalls Hello Kitty, SpongeBob, Dora, Ninja Turtles Water Bottles Because Kids Don’t Like Lacerated Lips
By 8.21.14
Taking a drink of water should be a pain-free experience – I mean it’s just water, right? That might not be the case when it comes to a set of Brita’s children-friendly water bottles that have the potential to create a painful situation by cutting drinkers. [More]
Honda Recalls 2015 Fit Because Failing Crash Tests Isn’t Exactly A Selling Point
By 8.21.14
It’s difficult for me to see a subcompact vehicle and not automatically think that it would turn into an accordion-like piece of metal in the event of a crash. I’m sure that’s a pretty unreasonable connection to make, but one car manufacturer is now recalling its latest subcompact in order to boost the car’s crash resistance. [More]
Corona Extra Beer Recalled Because Glass Particles Don’t Go Down So Smoothly
By 8.20.14
That’s not an extra unripe lime interrupting a smooth pull of the beer — the makers of Corona Extra say some 12-ounce bottles of the brew have been recalled for having small glass particles in them. [More]
NHTSA Launches Online Search Tool So Consumers Can Find Out For Themselves If A Vehicle Has Been Recalled
By 8.20.14
With more than 46 million vehicles having been recalled so far this year, the thought of accidentally purchasing a used car with safety defects might be a bit nerve-wracking for consumers. A new online search tool from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration aims to take the worry and guess-work out of whether or not a used car has been recalled and fixed. [More]
Organic Peanut And Almond Butters Recalled For Possible Salmonella
By 8.19.14
It’s time to head to the pantry and check your jars of almond and peanut butters. Products sold under the brands of Arrowhead Farms and Maranatha, and private-label products sold in Kroger, Safeway, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods stores may be contaminated with salmonella, and consumers should dispose of them and seek a refund or replacement. [More]
Feds: Slaughterhouse Switched Out Unhealthy Cattle Heads During Inspectors’ Lunch Breaks
By 8.19.14
A federal grand jury has indicted the co-owners and two employees of the California slaughterhouse at the center of a massive beef recall earlier this year, and we’re now getting a better idea about how the plant allegedly got away with processing “diseased and unsound animals” that were “unfit for human food.” [More]
Salmonella Is Not A Flavor, So McCormick Recalls Ground Oregano
By 8.15.14
Oregano is a very tasty spice, but do you know what’s not so tasty? Potentially fatal foodborne illness. Routine tests at McCormick spice company turned up salmonella contamination, which may have affected as many as 1,032 cases of the ground herb. [More]
Applegate Recalls 15,000 Pounds Of Chicken Nuggets That May Contain Plastic Nuggets
By 8.14.14
If you prefer your chicken nuggets to be antibiotic-free and plastic shard-free, it’s time to check your freezer: Perdue’s Applegate Naturals brand has recalled more than 15,000 pounds of frozen chicken nuggets after customers complained that they contained pieces of plastic. [More]
Land Rover Recalls 40,000 Luxury SUVs For Passenger Airbag Issues
By 8.13.14
Safety is a priority for car manufacturers, if it wasn’t there likely wouldn’t be recalls at all. But since it is, the recalls keep coming, this time in the form of 40,000 Jaguar Land Rover luxury SUVs with potentially malfunctioning passenger airbags. [More]
Your Wrapped Meat Leaks Bacteria-Laden Juice Everywhere
By 8.11.14
The poultry that you buy at the grocery store is securely wrapped up specifically so consumers don’t spread traces of chicken juice on everything that they touch, right? Well… about that. For a new study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the government agency in charge of making sure that our meat doesn’t kill us, scientists followed shoppers around and checked surfaces that they touched for poultry proteins. Guess what they found? [More]
GM Recalls 269,001 Saturns, Chevrolets, Cadillacs, Buicks, And Pontiacs
By 8.8.14
Well, it’s the end of business on a Friday afternoon, so that means it must be time for another General Motors recall! As part of their apparent effort to recall every GM vehicle on the roads at least once, this afternoon the company announced the recall of 202,115 cars from current brands Buick, Cadillac, and Chevrolet, and from defunct brands Saturn and Pontiac. [More]
Using Your Phone As A GPS Is Awesome Until You Get A Distracted Driving Ticket
By 8.7.14
Smartphone GPS apps are extremely useful tools for people who want real-time traffic information and/or you don’t want to drag around a separate GPS unit. Yet motorists should be careful: even if they’re just choosing a different route or reporting a construction zone, they can get in serious trouble for simply holding a phone in their hands. [More]
FDA Warns Consumers, Tattoo Parlors To Be On The Lookout For Contaminated Ink
By 8.7.14
Not all tattoo ink is created equal. Some brands come in a variety of colors, and apparently others come with loads of bacteria that can cause painful skin infections. [More]
Vizio Recalls 245,000 TVs Because “Tipping Over” Is Not A Desirable Feature
By 8.6.14
Because it’s hard to watch TV when you screen has fallen onto the floor, the folks at Vizio are recalling approximately 245,000 39″ and 42″ TVs with stands that might fail. [More]
Still Waiting For Your Fitbit Force Recall Check? Here’s What To Do
By 8.5.14
We’ve provided wrist-to-wrist coverage of the problems surrounding the FitBit Force, a wearable movement tracker that counts steps, measures flights of stairs, and occasionally induces rashes. We shared with you the first rash reports we saw, as well as reporting on the recall and its aftermath. It makes sense that readers would contact us when they can’t get their refunds. Are you still waiting for your check? Here’s what you should do. [More]
Frozen Pizza With Cookie Layer Is What Pizza Hut Only Aspires To
By 8.5.14
Sure, Pizza Hut thinks it’s being all revolutionary with its cookie pizzas, and infinite variations on stuffed crusts but the chain isn’t taking things nearly far enough. Have they tried putting an entire cookie pizza layer on top of a pizza? They have not. Yet. One brave man, Michael J. Hudson, has tried such a feat. The result looks horrifying. And amazing. And horrifying. [More]
