Yesterday, we predicted that more prepared foods that include organic spinach would be recalled in the coming weeks after a Washington state farm told informed its wholesale customers that routine testing had turned up Listeria bacteria in its spinach. While a link between these recalls hasn’t been announced, another all-organic product including spinach has been recalled: Rising Moon Organics frozen ravioli. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
Blue Bell Expands Recall After More Samples Test Positive For Listeria Contamination
By 3.24.15
Blue Bell Creameries expanded a recent recall of products after tests found additional products may be linked to an outbreak of listeriosis that resulted in at least three deaths. [More]
GM Ignition Recall Death Toll Rises To 74
By 3.23.15
Not even a year ago, General Motors was hesitant to confirm that 13 deaths had been tied to a long-ignored ignition switch defect in the Chevy Cobalt, Saturn Ion and other vehicles. Now the carmaker is acknowledging that many times that number of people were killed as a result of their negligence, with the latest death toll rising to 74. [More]
UN Women Clarifies: It’s Not Partnering With Uber On Hiring 1 Million Female Drivers
By 3.23.15
Earlier this month, ridesharing service Uber announced what appeared to be a partnership with the United Nations’ UN Women organization aimed at hiring 1 million female drivers by 2020. The news raised concerns because of the number of Uber drivers accused of assaulting female passengers, as well as the company’s loose policy for what constitutes a “hire,” and last week UN Women confirmed that it was not partnering with Uber on this initiative. [More]
Brace Yourselves For A Frozen Organic Spinach Recallapalooza
By 3.23.15
When food items with ingredients in common that were sold at multiple retailers are recalled because of the same food-borne pathogen, that’s a sign that the source may be that ingredient that they have in common. Three recent recalls from Amy’s, Wegmans, and Costco show that it may be wise for people who are young, old, sick, or pregnant to stay away from organic spinach. [More]
Tesla CEO Says Summer Software Update Could Make The Model S Self-Driving
By 3.20.15
Could Tesla’s zero-emission Model S soon require zero-effort from drivers when it comes to traveling down the highway? That’s the plan, according to CEO Elon Musk. [More]
The Numbers Show Startups Can’t Get Enough Of Calling Themselves The “Uber” For This, The “Airbnb” Of That
By 3.20.15
If you’ve been hearing startup companies throw around phrases like, “We’re the Uber of [insert industry that is not ride-hailing]!” or “Our service functions just like the Airbnb of [another industry that is not renting out rooms to strangers]!” you’re not alone. A recent analysis of language used by startups to describe their businesses show that a lot of them are hitching their apple carts to those brands’ rising stars. [More]
Graco Agrees To Pay $3M Fine For Delayed Reporting Of Car Seat-Buckle Complaints
By 3.20.15
After Graco recalled about six million car seats last year in two sets of recalls because the harness’ buckles could get stuck, the company has now agreed to shell out $3 million to the government for being slow to report complaints about the tricky buckles. [More]
Wegmans Recalls Walnut Halves & Pieces Over Possible Salmonella Contamination
By 3.19.15
On the heels of Trader Joe’s recalling walnuts over salmonella concerns, grocery store chain Wegmans is also pulling a product with walnut pieces and halves from the shelves due to possible contamination. [More]
Amsterdam Uber Driver: Mysterious Masked Men Threatened Me
By 3.19.15
From the point of view of Uber, a service that summons cars and drivers over the Internet, maybe the fines imposed on the company by governments are a relatively cheap marketing expense instead of a nuisance. Yesterday, we shared that Germany has banned the company yet again. Authorities in the Netherlands have imposed a fine of $107,000 on the company for violating the laws that regulate taxis. [More]
Honda Expands Takata Airbag Recall… Again
By 3.19.15
While five major car manufactures have recalled millions of vehicles with Takata-produced airbags in the last year, Honda has by far been the most affected. And today, the car company continued to distance itself from other automakers by recalling more than 100,000 additional vehicles that may contain the airbags known to spew pieces of shrapnel at drivers and passengers upon deployment. [More]
Germany Bans Uber For Second Time, Fines Company $264,825 For Each Violation
By 3.18.15
Uber’s fight to transport customers in Germany hit yet another roadblock today as it was banned from operating within the country for the second time in 12 months. And this time, if the company breaks the imposed injunction, it can expect to pay a hefty to the tune of $264,825 per violation. [More]
Kraft Recalls 242,000 Cases That May Contain Macaroni And Cheese And Metal Shards
By 3.18.15
Back in 2012, store-brand macaroni and cheese was recalled because it might have contained pieces of metal, leading us to call it “Mac ‘N’ Cheese ‘N’ Metal Shards.” Now a brand-name version of that product is available, since Kraft has recalled 242,000 cases of its signature boxed macaroni and cheese. It could possibly contain small pieces of metal, which is not an appropriate spice to add to macaroni and cheese. [More]
When Is Taking A Yellow Cab Cheaper Than Using Uber?
By 3.18.15
Anyone who’s ever found themselves facing Uber’s surge rates has probably grumbled something along the lines of, “Well, at least cabs don’t charge more when it’s busy.” Which is true in most places with taxis licensed by the city where they operate. But what about other times when surge isn’t in effect — which service provides a cheaper ride? [More]
Trader Joe’s Recalls Walnuts Over Salmonella Concerns
By 3.17.15
If you’ve got some raw walnuts from Trader Joe’s sitting in your pantry, you should check the label because they might be among those nuts recalled for possible Salmonella contamination. [More]
Tesla Faces One Last Hurdle In New Jersey After Senate Passes Bill Allowing Direct-To-Consumer Sales
By 3.17.15
A little more than a year after the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission unanimously voted to block the sale of Tesla vehicles directly to consumers, the state’s Legislature passed a bill allowing the car company to bypass auto dealerships and continue its unique model of car sales. [More]
Big Data Is Here To Stay. So Can We Use It To Make Recalls Actually Work?
By 3.16.15
Sometimes products are unsafe. From bacteria-filled food to shrapnel-shooting airbags, on occasion even the most conscientious company will find itself needing to recall a product if it turns out to be harmful to consumers. But recalls are a big pain in the butt all around. One of the biggest issues? Actually letting consumers know that the stuff in their hands or on their shelves has, in fact, actually been recalled. [More]
Tesla Says Software Update Will “End Range Anxiety” For Model S Cars
By 3.16.15
The base version of the Tesla Model S already gets around 200 miles to a charge and the 85kwh version can reach more than 260 miles before needing to be plugged in; farther than any other electric vehicle currently in production. But company founder Elon Musk is promising that a new software update will “end range anxiety.” [More]
