Anyone who has sat through marathons of shows like Kitchen Nightmares and Restaurant: Impossible is fully versed on all the disgusting things possibly lurking under dining room booths and every other nook and cranny. One food service expert says too many restaurant operators ignore the mop and bucket to the detriment of their businesses. [More]
Quality & Safety
FDA Proposes New Food Safety Rules In Wake Of Peanut & Cantaloupe Contamination
By 1.4.13
Following more than a year of ugly headlines about recalls of possibly tainted peanuts, cantaloupes, leafy greens and other food products, the Food & Drug Administration has proposed new rules aimed at making the food on our plates safer to eat. [More]
Maker Of ‘Nap Nanny’ Fights Recall Of Product Linked To Death Of Five Infants
By 1.3.13
We’ve been following the saga of the Nap Nanny baby recliner since it was first recalled back in 2010 following the death of one child. Then in early December, the government filed suit against the company after learning of several additional fatalities. Now, the company is fighting back. [More]
Sam’s Club Recalls Smoked Salmon Sold In 42 States
By 12.28.12
With year-end parties still to come, there will probably be some of you munching on Smoked Salmon in the next few days. If that salmon was purchased at Sam’s Club, you might want to keep reading. [More]
Retailers Recall ‘Nap Nanny’ Following Lawsuit & Deaths Of 5 Infants
By 12.27.12
Three weeks after the maker of the Nap Nanny baby recliner was sued by the government for allegedly failing to address safety concerns that are tied to the deaths of at least five infants, some major retailers have issued their own voluntary recall on the product. [More]
December Recall Roundup: Sparking Mugs And Plummeting Parents
By 12.26.12
Reading through this month’s recalls, you may have an interesting question. “Consumerist, why is a mug a fire hazard?” you’re probably asking. That’s a good question. It’s because it apparently didn’t occur to the mug designers that people might want to microwave it, and that silver-colored bucket handle is metallic enough to cause spectacular sparks when zapped. In this months’ recall roundup, you’ll find flaming fireplaces, non-edible magnets, and lead paint on kids’ clothing. [More]
Settlement Ends 4-Year Dispute About Spit In Burger King Customer’s Whopper Jr.
By 12.21.12
In Nov. 2008, an Ohio man says he stopped into a Pennsylvania Burger King and got something a little extra on his Whopper Jr. — a dollop of employee spit. He subsequently sued the franchisee who operates the restaurant, alleging the incident was racially motivated. Well, the matter has finally been settled without going to trial. [More]
This 2-Ring Circus With A Cherry On Top Is Actually A Pizza That People Can Eat
By 12.20.12
At what first glance appears to be one of those pre-made deli trays your office puts out when they force you to have a meeting through lunch (or your neighbors give you when your mother-in-law passes away), is actually a pizza. Or at least that’s what Pizza Hut Singapore alleges. [More]
GM Recalling 145,628 Mid-Sized Pickups As Hood Latch Issue Could Cause Pop-Up Surprise
By 12.20.12
This week seems to be all about vehicle defects that could cause quite a nasty surprise on the road. Yesterday we heard about sunroofs shattering on Hyundai Velosters, and today General Motors announced it’s recalling 145,628 mid-sized pickups because the hood should not pop up unexpectedly while you’re driving. [More]
Hyundai Recalls 13,500 Veloster Coupes Because Sitting Beneath A Shattered Sunroof Isn’t Fun
By 12.19.12 — Updated: 12.20.12
Driving along on a gorgeous day with the sunroof open is fantastic, which is ostensibly why the Hyundai Veloster Coupe and its panoramic sunroofs could be attractive to custoemrs. But having that closed sunroof shatter? Well that’s far from fantastic, which is why the car company is recalling 13,500 model year 2012 Velosters. [More]
Toyota Will Pay A Record Fine Of $17.35M Over Delay In Reporting Safety Defects
By 12.18.12
Toyota says it will be paying out a record $17.35 million — the maximum fine allowably by law — after the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the company had delayed reporting a safety defect to the government. It’s the highest single civil penalty that’s ever been paid to the NHTS Afor violations that are a result of a recall. [More]
Advocates Ask Court To Unmask Company Behind Anonymous Consumer Safety Lawsuit
By 12.13.12
We previously told you how a company from somewhere in the U.S. that presumably makes some sort of product had sued the Consumer Product Safety Commission without having to publicly reveal its identity or any relevant details about the case. Now, a group of consumer advocates are again asking the court to identify the plaintiff in the case. [More]
More Than 800,000 Honda & Acura Vehicles Recalled Over Ignition Concerns
By 12.12.12
The garage at your local Honda/Acura dealer might be a bit busier in the coming months, as the car maker has issued a recall for certain model years of Honda Odyssey and Pilot vehicles, along with hundreds of thousands of Acura MDX vehicles, over concerns the ignition interlock could fail, causing the cars to possibly roll around when they’re not supposed to. [More]
Regulators Want To Lock Steering Wheels Of Convicted Drunk Drivers If They’re Intoxicated
By 12.11.12
How do you keep a convicted drunk driver from climbing behind the wheel while intoxicated? Just lock’em out, say federal regulators. Federal safety regulators are pushing for a policy that would allow for special ignition interlock devices to be installed in the vehicles of convicted drunk drivers. The devices would lock up if the driver tries to go anywhere while intoxicated. [More]
Don’t Bother Subway’s Sandwich Artists Right Before Closing Or You’ll End Up With This Mess
By 12.10.12
We know that real-life fast food rarely resembles what you see in the pretty pictures the restaurant puts in its ads. But this is really just sad. [More]
Court: Texas Roadhouse Doesn’t Owe Customer $150K For Hair-Stuffed Steak
By 12.7.12
A customer at a Wisconsin Texas Roadhouse restaurant complained that his steak was overcooked, and a spiteful staffer who thought he was lying to scam free food stuffed pieces of his facial hair inside the meat. The same employee later claimed to have stuffed a steak with pubic hair. This story may sound familiar to old-school Consumerist fans: we posted it in 2008, and it appeared on our list of all-time grossest food stories. The hairy steaks are in the news again. What’s happened in the intervening four years? Lawsuits. [More]
Whole Foods Organic Grapes: Now With Free Black Widow Spiders
By 12.6.12
Sure, organic produce doesn’t provide any extra nutrition, but it does have other benefits, like keeping artificial fertilizers and pesticides out of the soil and helping people feel extra smug. There can be downsides, though. Just ask the Connecticut woman who found a live black widow spider in the bunch of grapes she brought home from Whole Foods. [More]
Makers Of Recalled Nap Nanny Sued By CPSC Following Deaths Of 5 Infants
By 12.5.12
In 2010, the death of an infant in a Nap Nanny baby recliner led to the recall of 30,000 of the devices. But since then, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has learned of additional fatalities and more than 70 potentially harmful incidents involving the Nap Nanny. [More]
