The FDA has suspended all new drug applications from one of Ranbaxy’s plants in India—the Paonta Sahib plant—after “determining the facility was falsifying scientific data.” You may recall that last September the FDA banned the import of 30 popular generic meds made by Ranbaxy due in part to quality control issues from this very same plant. What do they think they are, a peanut butter factory?
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Search For All Recalled Peanut Butter Products With This Widget
By 2.13.09
Here’s a handy widget, courtesy of the FDA, that you can use to determine whether or not your Valentine’s Day goodies are a trap set by an angry lover.
FDA Forces Pharma Company To Admit That Its Birth Control Pill Isn't Miraculous
By 2.13.09
Bayer, the company that makes the popular birth control pill, Yaz, is being forced to run ads that “correct” some of the claims that it made in commercials touting the pill’s “proven” ability to rid women of acne and PMS. The company settled with the FDA, promising to spend $20 million on the corrections, warning women that they shouldn’t take Yaz hoping to cure their pimples and irritability.
Chicago Considering A Partial Ban On Bisphenol-A Products
By 2.12.09
Chicago might become the first place in the United States to partially ban the sale of products that contain Bisphenol-A (BPA), the chemical that some studies have shown may have harmful effects on humans. They’re proposing to forbid the sale of any BPA product intended for children. Canada banned the chemical last year, but the FDA has so far come down on the side of manufacturers.
FBI Raids Salmonella Peanut Butter Plant
By 2.10.09
FBI agents raided the Georgia plant suspected in the current salmonella peanut butter outbreak that has been linked to 600 illnesses and eight deaths in 43 states. The company is accused of knowingly shipping the tainted products.
So, Who's To Blame For The Salmonella Outbreak? PCA, The FDA, The CDC…
By 2.6.09
We know there’s salmonella story fatigue setting in, but this new overview from yesterday’s Senate hearing is the best yet as far as piecing together exactly how salmonella-tainted peanut butter made it into our food supply for such a long period of time, and why it took so long to trace it back to a single rotten peanut plant in Georgia. Ultimately the blame lies with Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) for failing to maintain its factory and for not destroying lots that tested positive for salmonella, but both the FDA and the CDC had a role in it, too. One example: the FDA didn’t even know the plant produced peanut butter or peanut paste until 2007.
Peanut Corp Says Salmonella Plant Was Regularly Inspected, Given Good Ratings
By 2.4.09
Peanut Corp. of America is now saying that its Georgia plant was regularly inspected by the FDA and given a “meets or exceeds” rating. This doesn’t excuse the company from its own failings, but we think it points out what President Obama recently noted, which is that the FDA inspection system doesn’t seem to work very well.
Obama Orders Review Of FDA In Wake Of Salmonella Outbreak
By 2.2.09
President Obama has had it up to here with poor FDA oversight, particularly of salmonella-infested peanut factories, and he’s called for a review of the underfunded organization, according to U.S. News & World Report.
How Unscrupulous Food Manufacturers Manipulate Lab Tests
By 1.29.09
In yesterday’s Peanut Corp. post, our commenter microguy07828 left a detailed explanation of how food manufacturers sometimes play dirty when it comes to getting the lab results they want on a product. We though it deserved more visibility in light of yesterday’s accusation that the Peanut Corp. of America knowingly shipped tainted peanut butter. As microguy07828 puts it, it “happens more often than you would think.”
Peanut Corp. of America Knowingly Shipped Tainted Peanut Butter
By 1.29.09
The news about Peanut Corp. of America’s complete abandonment of food safety gets worse: now it seems that the company knew its peanut butter had salmonella, but shipped it anyway. When the product tested positive, the company shopped around for another lab to provide “acceptable” results.
Study Finds Bisphenol-A Can Enter Your Body Through Non-Food Sources
By 1.28.09
A new study from the University of Rochester shows that bisphenol-A (BPA), a potentially toxic chemical found in many plastics, can enter the body via non-food sources and lingers in the body longer than previously thought.
Who's Watching Our Nation's Honey Imports? Pretty Much No One
By 1.27.09
The Seattle P.I. reports that “two-thirds of the honey Americans consume is imported and almost half of that, regardless of what’s on the label, comes from China.” The first problem with that is some Chinese honey is “tainted with banned antibiotics” such as ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol. The second problem, according to U.S. honey producers who are upset about the lack of oversight, is that whenever contaminated honey is discovered, many companies just sent it back to the importer and never tell the FDA—which means it can be resold elsewhere, including to other U.S. packers.
Salmonella Peanut Butter Plant Repeatedly Violated Health Codes
By 1.26.09
The Georgia peanut plant responsible for the salmonella outbreak that has sickened nearly 500 and killed at least 7 was repeatedly cited with health code violations for being “not properly cleaned and sanitized.”
There's Salmonella In The Peanut Butter… Again
By 1.12.09
For the past three months or so, the FDA and the CDC have been working to find the source of an outbreak of salmonella typhimurium that has sickened at least 400 people nationwide. Now the Minnesota Department of Health thinks they may have found the answer in a jar of institutional peanut butter not sold to the public.
Dear President-Elect Obama, The FDA Is Mismanaged. Sincerely, The FDA
By 1.12.09
A letter to President-Elect Obama from nine FDA scientists makes alarming charges of mismanagement at the FDA, alleging incompetence, intimidation, and inappropriate industry influence.
Quest Says Nearly 10% Of Its Vitamin D Tests Were Inaccurate
By 1.9.09
Last October, Quest Diagnostics contacted “thousands of doctors” around the country to notify them that one or more of their patients might have received “questionable” results on vitamin D tests performed over the past two years. It’s offering free retests to anyone who was affected.
FDA Is Not Impressed By Diet Coke Plus
By 1.6.09
Last month, the FDA sent Coca-Cola a letter warning that their Diet Coke Plus (“it’s what plants crave”) violates FDA standards for products fortified with vitamins.
FDA Sets Acceptable Melamine Levels For Baby Formula
By 12.2.08
Mommy, I’m hungry, can I have more melamine? Sure thing, sweetie, because the FDA established that 1 part per million of melamine in baby formula is cool, as long as an additional chemical isn’t present.
