Last year, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture enacted new rules requiring meat producers to provide more specific details on the country or countries of origin for their products. Saying the new mandate placed too onerous a burden on them, suppliers sued to block the rule change, but that challenge has been shut down by a federal appeals court. [More]
Quality & Safety
GM Asks Dealers To Stop Selling Chevy Cruze, Won’t Say Why
By 3.28.14
In the midst of a recall scandal involving ignition problems that have resulted in the deaths of at least a dozen people, General Motors has another publicity mess on its hand. The carmaker has told its dealers to stop selling certain Chevy Cruze models but isn’t publicly stating a reason for the halt. [More]
Court To Decide If Recalled GM Cars Should Remain Parked Pending Repairs
By 3.27.14
Earlier this week, plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against General Motors over the ongoing ignition-related recall of more than a million cars asked the court to issue an injunction that would compel GM to urge drivers to stop driving these vehicles until the repairs. Today it was announced that both sides will get to argue their position before the court on April 4. [More]
Plant Behind Great Peanut Butter Recall Of 2012 Sold At Bankruptcy Auction
By 3.27.14
Remember the Great Peanut Butter Recall of 2012? We learned that natural peanut butter (the kind that usually contains just nuts and maybe some salt) sold under a huge variety of brands all came from a New Mexico company called Sunland Foods. We were sad to learn that Sunland didn’t make it through the aftermath of that recall, closing in the fall of 2013. Now the plant will reopen with a new owner. It’s just not clear yet who that will be. [More]
Weight-Loss Drug Alli Recalled Over Tampering Concerns
By 3.27.14
Big pharma biggie GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has issued a recall all on all of its alli weight loss products in the U.S., including Puerto Rico, over concerns that packages may have been tampered with, resulting in some bottles containing something other than actual alli capsules. [More]
Drug Companies Say They Won’t Sell Antibiotics For Non-Medical Use In Animals, But Are They Telling The Truth?
By 3.26.14
The FDA had “Look at effect of medically unnecessary antibiotics in farm animals and maybe do something about it” on its to-do list for three decades, and then last December it finally issued a pretty-please to the pharmaceuticals industry, asking drug companies to voluntarily stop selling antibiotics for non-therapeutic use on farm animals. Almost all of them have since agreed in writing to follow the FDA’s guidance, but are those promises worth the paper they’re written on? [More]
Walmart Recalls 174,000 My Sweet Love/My Sweet Baby Dolls Because Burnt Flesh Isn’t So Sweet
By 3.25.14
Though a handful of kids’ dolls have been known to become possessed by the souls of deceased serial killers — not to mention the occasional murderous, self-aware ventriloquist dummy — it’s generally accepted that dolls are not supposed to hurt the children who play with them. That’s why Walmart has issued a recall on 174,000 dolls that can overheat and cause burns or blisters. [More]
Parker Farms And Store Brand Cheese Snacks, Salsa, And Peanut Butter Recalled For Possible Listeria
By 3.25.14
Whenever we forget how massively inter-connected our food supply is, a huge national recall of prepared foods comes along and reminds us. This time, the reminder comes from Minnesota-based manufacturer Parkers Farm Acquisition, LLC, which packages salsa, cold pack cheeses, peanut butter, and pepper spreads under its own name and also store brands. Some of their products were contaminated with the very nasty foodborne pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes.
GM Knew Chevy Cobalt Ignition Could Turn Itself Off, Released Car Anyway
By 3.25.14
If you’re a carmaker and you find out the vehicle you’re about to release had an ignition-switch issue that could not only stop the car’s engine but render the power steering, air bags, and power brakes useless, you probably wouldn’t release that car. It’s a shame you weren’t a General Motors executive 10 years ago. [More]
Senator Asks Justice Department To Hold GM Responsible For Ignition Fire Lawsuits
By 3.24.14
Earlier this year, GM issued a massive recall of nearly 1.4 million vehicles due to problems with the ignition switch. GM apparently knew about those problems — which have caused several fatalities — for up to thirteen years before issuing the recall, and reportedly also ignored piles of consumer complaints in that timeframe. Consumers’ entirely predictable lawsuits against GM have already begun, but those lawsuits are facing a big potential snag. [More]
March Recall Roundup – Don’t Put A Cork In It
By 3.24.14
In this month’s Recall Roundup, cork toys crumble but aren’t edible, heaters overheat, and Grumpy Cat has a lot to be unhappy about. [More]
Graco Tells Parents With Recalled Car Seats They’re In For A 6-8 Week Wait
By 3.21.14
The good news, if you’re a safety-minded person, is that the recall on Graco car seats announced last month and expanded a few weeks later was very effective. Maybe it was more effective than Graco had anticipated, because there’s now a long wait for replacement buckles. [More]
Fish Is So Fresh At Costco, One Package Of Cod Still Had A Live Worm Wriggling Around In It
By 3.21.14
Because most of us don’t buy our fish straight off the dock, finding a worm with your fresh fish is bound to be a bit of a surprising event. And while a Costco customer’s video of a fresh package of cod doesn’t show the kind of wriggling worm you’d put on a hook, seeing a parasitic nematode snuggled in there is still enough to warrant a “careful if you’re eating lunch while reading this” warning. [More]
8,200 Stuffed Grumpy Cats Recalled, Are Unhappy About It
By 3.20.14
If you aren’t familiar with the perpetually-frowning, totally adorable Grumpy Cat, we feel very sorry for you. Obviously, you need to spend more time looking at cute pictures of animals on the Internet. Grumpy Cat started as a cute kitty who always looks like she’s frowning, and somehow spawned an entire industry of apps, merchandise, and beverages, and became a Friskies spokescat. One of those pieces of merchandise has been recalled. [More]
IKEA Recalling 3 Million Baby Bed Canopies Because Sleep Strangulation Is Far From Dreamy
By 3.20.14
If you’ve purchased a baby bed canopy in the last 18 years from IKEA, the company says you should remove it and return it to the store, as it’s now recalling some three million of the products worldwide over a potential danger of strangulation. [More]
Fitbit Sued Over Itch-And-Rash-Inducing Wristbands
By 3.20.14
Nearly a month after Fitbit voluntarily recalled its Fitbit Force bracelets over complaints from thousands of users who developed itchy rashes while wearing the devices, and weeks after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission made the recall official, comes the first of what will likely be many lawsuits against the company. [More]
Dole Recalls Italian Salad Mix Due To Possible Listeria Contamination
By 3.14.14
Bagged salads are a super convenient way to get more vegetables into your mouth, but if you buy them, it’s time to check your fridge. Listeria monocytogenes is a nasty pathogen that can have serious consequences for vulnerable humans, and was found in salads marketed under the names Dole Italian Blend, Fresh Selections Italian Style Blend, Little Salad Bar Italian Salad, and Marketside Italian Style Salad. [More]
Full-Page Ads Thank Trader Joe’s For Giving Consumers The Choice To Eat Drugged-Up Meat
By 3.14.14
Freedom of choice is a pretty awesome thing. But for quite some time, consumers have had very little choice when it comes to buying beef, chicken, or pork that wasn’t fed a massive amount of medically unnecessary antibiotics. That’s one of the reasons why our cohorts at Consumers Union have been pushing supermarket chain Trader Joe’s to stop selling meat from these animals — so consumers could have an affordable, convenient way to get meat that wasn’t pumped full of penicillin. But according to a series of full-page newspaper ads, consumers apparently want hamburgers that are contributing to the spread of drug-resistant infections. [More]
