Do you want fries with that? If you work for the United States Department of Agriculture, even if you do want a side of fries to go with your meal, you’re not gonna get it. The department’s cafeteria launched a new, healthier look today, which includes a menu devoid of deep-fried items. After deciding last year to go healthy, the USDA nixed deep fat fryers in both its cafeterias and will offer more healthful options for its employees. [More]
Quality & Safety
24 Kinds Of Triaminic And Theraflu Recalled Because Childproof Caps Aren’t Childproof
By 2.1.13
Poor Novartis: things just keep going wrong at their plants. Last year, they had multiple recalls, including many of their over-the-counter drugs and a line of birth control pills. Now, the company has recalled liquid Triaminic and TheraFlu products because the products’ caps aren’t childproof. The Consumer Products Safety Commission has heard about twelve kids who have opened the bottle themselves, four of whom had a taste. One needed medical attention. [More]
Keep These Food Safety Tips In Mind While Serving Snacks On Super Bowl Sunday
By 2.1.13 — Updated: 1.31.17
You might think that throwing some hot cheese chili dip and shrimp cocktail on the table is all fun and games, and well, it is. But you should still be careful while serving snacks this Super Bowl Sunday so as to prevent getting guests sick. There are a few tips to keep your food safe and make sure your guests leave happy and not clutching their stomachs. [More]
Decidedly Un-Adorable Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Pet Hedgehogs
By 1.31.13
We’ve heard the usual caveats to avoid salmonella — wash your hands after handling raw meat, cook your food thoroughly, etc. — but how do you ward off cuteness? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there have been 20 outbreaks of salmonella in the last year that were all linked to pet hedgehogs. Say it ain’t so, Sonic. [More]
Kids’ Dressers Recalled Following Deaths Of 3 Toddlers
By 1.30.13 — Updated: 2.1.13
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced recalls for two separate kids’ dressers following the deaths of three toddlers possibly resulting from the furniture falling on the children. [More]
Toyota Announces Recall Of 750K Corollas & 270K Lexus IS Vehicles
By 1.30.13
Toyota doubled on its recall announcements today, issuing two separate recalls totaling more than 1 million vehicles in the U.S. [More]
CDC Report Details Which Foods Make The Most People Sick, Tells Everyone To Stay Calm
By 1.29.13
First of all, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention don’t want you to get all freaked out about the foods you eat, just because it’s releasing a report on the foods responsible for sickening the most people. It’s just an attempt to help regulators improve food safety. That being said, leafy greens like lettuce, spinach and kale are the most popular culprits, dairy products were responsible for the most hospitalizations and the most deaths were linked to poultry. [More]
Mother Probably Less Concerned With Size Of Subway Sandwich Than The Glass Shards In It
By 1.23.13
Today’s news is all shards and we haven’t stopped cringing: First it was the potential for metal shards in pizza and now a mother is claiming her three-year-old daughter ate pieces of glass that were allegedly inside her Subway sandwich. Kinda makes all those complaints of 11-inch Footlongs seem a bit less important because hey, at least they’re shard-free. [More]
Annie’s Frozen Pizzas Recalled Since Metal Shards Aren’t The Tastiest Topping
By 1.23.13
Pepperoni, onions, mushrooms, sausage, heck, we’ll even take some anchovies on my pizza over say, a crunchy metal shard. Annie’s is issuing a recall of its Annie’s Homegrown Frozen Pizza because it’s possible that a few varieties could have fragments of “flexible metal mesh.” Apparently a faulty screen at third-party flour mill is to blame for this extraneous topping. [More]
6 Food Items That May Be Padded With Ingredients Not On The Label
By 1.22.13
It’s one thing to look at the ingredients on some packaged foods and be befuddled by the presence of certain ingredients. It’s another thing when the makers of those products are using unlisted adulterants to provide filler to the products you buy. [More]
Honda Recalls 748,000 Vehicles Because Airbags Are Supposed To Deploy Properly
By 1.18.13
Someone at the Honda factory apparently goofed and may not have put enough rivets in the airbag assemblies of Pilot and Odyssey vehicles. Without the right number of rivets, the airbag may not deploy properly, which could defeat the entire purpose of an airbag. So it’s time for these cars to be recalled. [More]
NHTSA Says Automakers Issued 650 Safety Recalls In 2012, Affecting 17.8 Million Products
By 1.17.13
Automakers had their hands full with recalls last year, at least according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Today the NHTSA announced that vehicle manufacturers had filed more than 650 safety recalls in 2012, which includes more than 17.8 million vehicles, child seats and other equipment related to automobiles. [More]
Study: 20,000 Trips To The Emergency Room In 2011 Linked To Consumption Of Energy Drinks
By 1.17.13
Following on the heels of reports linking ill health effects to energy drinks like Monster and 5-Hour Energy, a new government study says those beverages are “a rising public health problem,” and have been linked to 20,000 visits to emergency rooms around the country. [More]
Meat Lovers In UK, Ireland Surprised That Beef Now Comes With Horse DNA Included
By 1.16.13
Over here we’ve had our spate of controversy over fillers in beef products but even talk of pink slime likely won’t provoke quite the reaction as telling someone there’s horse meat in their hamburger. The Republic of Ireland’s food safety authority (FSAI) says horse DNA has been found in burgers and other products purported to be made of beef in Irish supermarkets as well as in the United Kingdom. Cue shudders. [More]
FDA Says Ambien Is Making Us Too Groggy In The Morning, Requires Lower Recommended Dosages
By 1.10.13
Zolpidem, the active ingredient in prescription sleep aids Ambien, Edluar, and Zolpimist, is apparently leaving some users — especially women — groggy and impaired in the morning. Thus, the FDA is requiring the manufacturers of these drugs to lower the current recommended doses. [More]
Stinky Drywall Legislation Passes Congress––After Construction Industry Watered It Down
By 1.9.13
The Drywall Safety Act of 2012 passed Congress on New Year’s Day 2013 and is currently waiting for President Obama’s signature. The purpose of the bill is to keep stinky and hazardous drywall out of American homes. Simple enough. Thanks to the miracle of democracy, the bill has been watered down and gives less power to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and more to the building industry to draw up its own voluntary standards. [More]
Fisher-Price Recalls 800,000 Newborn Rock ‘N Play Sleepers Seats Because They Might Be Moldy
By 1.8.13
Fisher-Price has issued a recall of about 800,000 of its Newborn Rock ‘N Play Sleepers due to an insidious problem that could be growing right under customer’s noses: mold. The company and the Consumer Product Safety Commission are warning consumers to stop using the sleepers if they spot mold on it, particularly in between the removable seat cushion and the hard plastic frame of the product. [More]
Student Finds The Absolute Grossest, Disgusting Chicken Brain (Kidney?) Thing In His KFC
By 1.8.13
We’ve heard plenty of stories of people encountering grody, nasty and unsavory items in their fast food. Yes, that’s true. But honestly, everyone? Cross our hearts and swear to die, stick a needle in our eyes, the story of a man in England finding what appears to be a chicken brain in his KFC is one of the absolutely most disgusting, stomach-turning things we have ever had the misfortune to see. [More]
