Back in February, Subway pledged to stop using Azodicarbonamide, a controversial chemical that it uses to improve elasticity in its bread but that also shows up in things like yoga mats. You won’t be doing any downward dogging (that’s how yoga people talk, right?) on Subway’s bread soon, as the company says it’s almost done phasing out the chemical. [More]
Quality & Safety
BMW Recalls 156,000 Vehicles, Because No One Likes When Their Car Won’t Start
By 4.10.14
If we had a penny for every vehicle recalled so far this week, we’d buy all of our loyal readers an ice cream cone. Okay, maybe not, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been an overabundance of recalls lately. And we can add one more company to that list: BMW. [More]
GM Puts Engineers Tied To Ignition Recall On Leave
By 4.10.14
In the middle of an investigation into why General Motors allowed vehicles with defective ignition switches to not only hit the market, but continue to be sold and driven for years while at least 13 people died, the carmaker has placed to engineers directly involved with this issue on paid leave. [More]
FDA’s New Rules: Honey With Added Sweeteners Might Be Sweet, But It Ain’t Honey
By 4.8.14
Just because something looks like honey, is sticky like honey and is sweet like honey, doesn’t mean it’s the real thing, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said today in new draft guidelines. That means food companies that add sweeteners to pure honey will have to tell consumers it’s not the totally real deal and label the products as a “blend.” [More]
Oh Good: 46,000 More Mazdas Susceptible To Spider Infestation
By 4.8.14
Hey, remember when a bunch of Mazda 6 vehicles were recalled back in 2011 because spiders had a tendency to infest the fuel lines and build webs, resulting in a few cracked fuel tanks and lots of nightmares? Well, it’s happening again: 46,000 more Mazda6 vehicles have been recalled. (Warning: there is a larger-than-life photo of the relevant spider species inside this post.) [More]
Ford Recalls 435,000 Vehicles For Possible Steering Issues, Possibly Unsafe Seats
By 4.7.14
For much of the United States winter is in the rearview mirror. But for consumers in 20 states and the District of Columbia, winter’s effects could continue to linger if they drive a Ford. The company recently announced two new recalls affecting more than 435,000 vehicles. [More]
Potentially Harmful Chemicals Find Their Way Into Our Food Thanks To 56-Year-Old FDA Rule
By 4.7.14
There are a number of federal protections to keep unsafe chemicals out of our favorite foods. But more often than not, those protections fail consumers. A new report by the Natural Resources Defense Council explores one of those failures: Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) designation. [More]
April Food And Supplement Recall Roundup: So Long, Organic Peppercorns
By 4.7.14
In our April Recall Roundup for food, supplements, and even a few over-the-counter drugs, the lemon cookies have peanut butter, the vegan hot chocolate mix has dairy, and a lot of organic peppercorns might be contaminated with salmonella. [More]
Keep Your Onions & Potatoes Separated And Other Tips For Storing Fruits & Vegetables
By 4.5.14 — Updated: 1.20.17
We’ve all got kitchens and we all eat food, but not everyone can agree on where and how to store that food so it doesn’t immediately turn into a moldy mess or dry out into a worthless husk. We’ve already looked at the the best places and methods for keeping your bread, dairy and eggs fresh, and in this second Spoilage Wars installment, we’ll deal with the fruits and vegetables you endeavor to keep from rotting away. [More]
Proposal To Regulate E-Cigarettes Expected Soon, FDA Says
By 4.3.14
While critics of e-cigarettes raise concerns about everything from exploding devices to poisoning risks to marketing and advertising to minors, there are currently no specific federal regulations on these products. That is likely to change soon, says the head of the FDA. [More]
Dyson Bladeless Heaters Recalled Because A Fire Is Too Much Heat
By 4.2.14
We know that a lot of our readers are fans of Dyson vacuums, but we aren’t sure whether any of you are into their air multipliers, which are totally not mini-portals to a distant dimension. Someone out there is, because they’ve expanded the line to include portable heaters. Some of these units have been heating a little too much lately, and 380,000 of them have been recalled in North America. [More]
Dodge Durangos & Jeep Grand Cherokees Recalled Over Brake Concerns
By 4.2.14
Why should General Motors get all the recall headlines when another domestic carmaker has defective vehicles to fix? Chrysler has announced a recall of around 870,000 total vehicles — 644,000 in the U.S. — for concerns about corrosion in the braking system that could increase the risk of a crash. [More]
GM CEO & NHTSA Director Admit Maybe They Messed Up This Ignition Recall
By 4.1.14
This afternoon, two people who inherited the crud-storm that is GM’s ongoing, massive ignition-related recall sat before lawmakers in Congress and tried to both defend their respective organizations while admitting that mistakes were made, resulting in at least 13 deaths. [More]
Avon To Phase Out Triclosan From Products
By 4.1.14
Four years ago, the FDA admitted that triclosan — an antibacterial and antifungal chemical used in numerous soaps, cosmetics and other products — doesn’t provide any additional benefit to simple soap-and-hot-water hand-washing. And while the agency mulls over proposed rules that would require companies that use triclosan in soap to prove their products are safe and more effective, some companies are responding to customer demand and phasing out the use of the chemical on their own. [More]
8 Things Companies Have Said That Sounded Like April Fool’s Jokes But Sadly Weren’t
By 4.1.14
For the calendar-challenged, we’ll point out that today is April 1, meaning the Internet is full of phony products, fake stories, doctored photos… so, you know, it’s like most days on the Internet. Rather than serve up a “United Charges Upgrade Fee For Merely Being Jealous Of First-Class Passengers” headline, or a post about Comcast CEO Brian Roberts giving up his job to play Gretl Von Trapp in a regional theater production of The Sound of Music, we’re looking back at some stories that would have been appropriate for April Fool’s. [More]
Multiple GM Recalls Announced For Steering, Transmission & Drive Shaft Issues
By 3.31.14
While General Motors execs prepare to go before Congress in the morning to explain why it took more than a decade and at least 13 deaths to issue a recall on more than two million vehicles, the carmaker announced three new, separate recalls — totaling nearly 2 million vehicles — for potential problems with the power steering, transmission, and drive shaft. [More]
Timeline Shows GM & NHTSA Failed On Multiple Occasions To Prevent Deaths Tied To Ignition Switch Recall
By 3.31.14
In advance of Tuesday’s hearing before the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations regarding the ongoing recall of more than 2 million GM vehicles for ignition-related problems tied to at least 13 deaths, the Committee on Energy and Commerce has released a detailed timeline of events, including all the times at which the carmaker or regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration could have alerted the public to the defect. [More]
GM Adds 971,000 Vehicles To Ignition Recall, Confirms 13th Death Tied To Defect
By 3.28.14
Not a good way to end the week for General Motors, which not only added 971,000 vehicles to the ignition-related recall that had already been issued for 1.6 million cars, it also confirmed that the defect is indeed tied to 13 deaths. [More]
