In our July Recall Roundup for food, the Great Chia Seed Recall of 2014 continues, ice cream has mismatched flavor labels, and there are mysterious substances in the ham. Oh, and Foster Farms finally recalled some of the chicken blamed for a recent salmonella outbreak. [More]
Quality & Safety
CPSC Finally Announces Recall Of Buckyballs, Kicking Off Refund Process
By 7.17.14
After two years of fighting the makers of Buckyballs and related Buckycubes to get the manufacturer to issue a recall of the magnetic toys that health experts say can rip through your gut if swallowed, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says it’s reached a settlement with the owner of the former company, and consumers can start filing their refund requests. [More]
Chrysler Will Finally, Eventually Get Around To Fixing Millions Of Jeeps Recalled In 2013
By 7.17.14
Last year, Chrysler reluctantly recalled millions of Jeeps out of concern that rear-end collisions could result in a fire. And even though the car maker came up with a fix for the issue, it still hadn’t repaired some 1.6 million Jeeps a year after announcing the recall. Under pressure from federal regulators, Chrysler now says it will pick up the pace of repairs, though it could still be eight months before some Jeeps are fixed. [More]
Subway Worker Claims She Was Forced To Make Sandwiches While Throwing Up
By 7.17.14
While people, especially those who get paid by the hour, might be tempted to play down an illness in order to make it through a shift, anyone in food service who is throwing up because of a stomach virus should be kept far away from the kitchen. But one former Subway worker in Texas claims her boss forced her to work through her illness. [More]
Cargill Says It Will Stop Using Antibiotics To Fatten Up Turkeys, But Do They Mean It?
By 7.16.14
Three years ago, Cargill recalled 36 million pounds of Salmonella-tainted ground turkey (followed by a later recall of another 185,000 pounds of the stuff). The particular strain of Salmonella involved in these recalls and the subsequent outbreak that sickened at least 134 people in 36 states, is resistant to antibiotics, likely because of all the drugs put into the turkeys’ feed solely because it has th side-effect of encouraging tissue growth. Yet only now is the agribusiness giant thinking maybe it shouldn’t carelessly shove antibiotics down the throats of the birds it sells to consumers. [More]
July Recall Roundup – Beware Of Flimsy Phone Chargers
By 7.15.14
In July’s recall roundup, the Consumer Products Safety Commission is out to protect us all from shocking air conditioners, exploding wine bottles, leaking snow throwers, and dangerous mobile device chargers. [More]
Last Chance To Send In Questions For GM CEO Mary Barra
July 11, 2014
Earlier this week, we told you that our colleagues at Consumer Reports were going to feature General Motors CEO Mary Barra in the magazine’s first Ask the CEO column. They are still accepting questions for Ms. Barra through today at asktheceo@cr.consumer.org, so get yours in ASAP before this opportunity shuts off like the ignition on a 2003 Chevy Cobalt. [More]
M&M’s Pint And Shot Glasses Recalled Because Lead & Cadmium Aren’t Tasty
By 7.11.14
Did you visit one of the M&M’s World retail stores in NYC, Las Vegas, Orlando, or London earlier this year? Did you see some adorable pint and shot glasses featuring the anthropomorphic treats? Well, you might want to stop using them, as those cute candy illustrations may contain high levels of lead and cadmium. [More]
How Loophole In Tainted Food Recalls Bit Chicken Company In The Butt
By 7.10.14
For more than a year, chicken producer Foster Farms has been tied to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds of people, resulted in the shutdown of a Foster plant and the destruction of more than a million pounds of meat. But a loophole in USDA guidelines meant that that the company didn’t issue any recalls until just last week. Now it’s that same loophole that appears to be coming back to bite Foster in the derriere. [More]
Scientists: Recalled Moldy Exploding Chobani Yogurts Could Make Consumers Sick
By 7.8.14
Hey, remember when Chobani recalled a wide variety of yogurts in the fall of 2013 because fungal contamination made them taste terrible and occasionally explode? About that: a new study published today in a journal of the American Society for Microbiology indicates that the fungus found in contaminated yogurt cups was a strain that can make animals, including humans, sick when it’s eaten. [More]
GM Hasn’t Recalled Millions Of Trucks And SUVs Despite Four-Year Investigation Into Brake Line Failures
By 7.8.14
Although General Motors appears to a be on a safety recall-announcing spree, it has resisted recalling 1.8 million trucks and SUVs despite a four-year long investigation by federal regulators into an issue that can cause the brake lines to fail. While brake failures could lead to crashes –which one would assume is a safety issue – the manufacturer maintains the problem is a simply matter of routine maintenace [More]
Ford Issues 6 Recalls Covering 101,000 Vehicles
By 7.8.14
In an effort to show GM that it’s not the only U.S. car maker who can issue a huge number of recalls, the folks at Ford have announced six separate recalls covering a total of 101,000 vehicles. [More]
Foster Farms Recalls Chicken After USDA Inspectors Finally Link It To Salmonella Case
By 7.7.14
Nearly a year and a half after people began falling ill from an antibiotic-resistent strain of salmonella, one chicken production company is recalling a small number of their fresh chicken products. However, some consumer advocates say Foster Farm’s recall doesn’t go far enough to protect consumers. [More]
Send Us Your Questions For GM CEO Mary Barra
July 7, 2014
General Motors CEO Mary Barra has only been on the job since January, but she’s already had to deal with an historic number of recalls, investigations by Congress and federal regulators, and seemingly endless lawsuits. We’re sure that many of you have questions you’d love to ask her; now is your chance. [More]
Which Fireworks, If Any, Are Legal In My State?
By 7.2.14
Like many kids whose families made biannual treks down I-95 to Florida, I used to beg my mom to please let me stock up on all the brightly colored and colorfully named fireworks you could buy at places like South of the Border. And every year on July 4th, I’d still be stuck with my stupid sparklers while the kids down the block set off their Fiesta Bombs and Earth Shakers. But hey, at least I wasn’t breaking the law, no matter how awesome it would have been. [More]
Doctors Call For End To Fattening Farm Animals With Antibiotics
By 6.27.14
While the beef, pork and drug industry likes to claim there isn’t enough science to merit a ban on the medically unnecessary use of antibiotics in farm animal feed, the nation’s largest group of physicians doesn’t quite see it that way. [More]
California Repeals Rubber Glove Law For Restaurant, Bar Workers
By 6.27.14
Earlier this year, a new California state law banned restaurant workers from touching food with their bare hands and required that bartenders and cooks wear rubber gloves. But following a backlash from the public and the foodservice industry, the state legislature has voted to repeal the ban, going back to rules that simply ask workers to minimize the touching of customers’ food. [More]
GM Halts Sale Of Chevy Cruze Over Airbag Concerns; Recall Possible
By 6.26.14
General Motors is once again telling dealers to stop sales of existing inventory of the Chevy Cruze, which has already been the subject of a recall this year over drive shaft issues. This time, the car maker says some 33,000 of these cars could have airbags that were assembled with the wrong part. [More]
