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Simplicity Cribs (failures resulting in deaths), select Bravo! Poultry Products for Dogs and Cats (Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes), Quong Hop Tofu (Listeria monocytogenes)
fda
By 9.20.07
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“Recent events have exposed weaknesses in our nation’s food safety net,” says the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which has released a blueprint to strengthen federal oversight of food safety by making new FDA guidelines mandatory, requiring proof of compliance from suppliers, and increasing the FDA’s budget. The association’s support of the plan has pleasantly surprised some consumer advocates and politicians. [Reuters]
House Approves Drug Testing Bill, Senate & Prez Expected To Follow
By 9.20.07
This week, the House of Representatives passed a new bill that gives the FDA the power to require new warning labels on existing prescription drugs, and the power to request “post-approval” studies of medicines as warranted. It also gives the FDA the authority to levy fines as high as $10 million to companies that fail to comply. The bill passed with a 405-7 vote on Wednesday and is expected to be passed by the Senate and approved by the President.
Hypochondriacs Rejoice! CSPI Launches Foodbourne Illness Outbreak Database
By 9.19.07
Here’s a nifty little tool for you hypochondriacs, the CSPI has put together an easily browsable database of all the foodbourne illness outbreaks in the US! Did you know that lima beans caused an outbreak of Clostridium perfringens at an Illinois jail in 1996? Now you do!
Mars Breaks Rank, Promises Consumers It Will Keep Using Real Chocolate
By 9.19.07
On Monday, Mars Snackfoods US—makers of “pokin’ at you pokin’ at you” Snickers bars, M&Ms, and other popular office meal replacement systems—announced that it would not seek FDA permission to replace its cocoa butter with cheaper vegetable oil, which is what the rest of the industry is lobbying for. Okay, first of all, yech, just… vegetable oil? But second of all, yay for Mars for drawing a line somewhere on poor product quality.
By 9.18.07
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Dole Hearts Delight salad mix (E. coli), Braun Normal Saline Flush syringes (particulate matter in the saline), Stone Meats 5 lb lean meat (pieces of metal).
"Easy-To-Follow" Diet Requires Injections, Colonics, And More
By 9.17.07
Let’s say you bought a diet book that was advertised to provide an easy-to-follow diet that you can do at home and that allows you to eat whatever you want—and then, once you buy the book, you find out that it “describes a complex, grueling plan that requires severe dieting, daily injections of a prescription drug that consumers cannot easily get, and lifelong dietary restrictions.” The FTC apparently thinks that’s misleading, and they’re going after Kevin Trudeau (yet again) for it.
Federal Government Boldly Declares: "It Is Impossible To Inspect Our Way To Safety"
By 9.15.07
Inspections will not keep Americans safe from potentially dangerous foreign imports, according to a Presidential working group representing 12 federal agencies. The working group believes that the sheer number of products arriving at our ports – goods worth $2 trillion, last year – make the development and deployment of an inspection regime impossible. The alternative inspires little confidence.
By 9.13.07
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Back to Basics IT400 Iced Tea Makers (fire), Harry and David Hearthside Soups, Southwestern Chicken Chili Mix (undeclared milk).
By 9.12.07
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Organic Pastures Dairy Company Grade A raw cream (Listeria monocytogenes), Great Wall Brand Chinese Wolfberry (undeclared sulfites), Cook’s Essentials Convection Ovens with Pull-Out Rotisserie and Deni Convection Ovens with Rotisserie (fire, electrical shock)
By 9.10.07
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Graco, Comfortsport, Cosco, Eddie Bauer, Safety 1st (check specific models, strap slippage), Shaw’s Fresh Ground Round Beef Patties (e.coli), Jensen’s Seattle Style Wild Smoked Salmon Spread Lemon Dill and Onion, PCC brand Smoked Salmon Spread (Listeria monocytogenes), Zencore Tabs (potentially harmful, undeclared ingredients).
FDA Halts Sale Of Libido-Increasing Injectable Tanning Drug
By 9.6.07
The FDA has warned Melanocorp, Inc., of Tennessee to stop its online sales of Melanotan II, an injectable tanning product that the company claims is “effective in protecting against skin cancer and rosacea.” According to the FDA, such claims cause it to be “classified as a drug under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, as well as a new drug because there is no evidence that it is generally recognized as safe and effective for its labeled uses.”
Bagged Spinich Recalled For Salmonella
By 8.30.07
Metz Fresh LLC has recalled bagged spinach sold in the continental US and Canada after one sample tested positive for salmonella. There have been no illnesses reported so far.
FDA Overhauls Sunscreen Ratings As Part Of Continuing War Against The Sun
By 8.26.07
A recently issued rule from the FDA would overhaul and expand the agency’s fight against the sun’s radiation. The proposed regulation would require sunscreen makers to test for effectiveness against UVA rays, which unlike UVB rays, do not burn the skin; UVA instead gives us an attractive bronze that can cause cancer.
By 8.23.07
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Basic Editions-brand Girls’ Clothing Sets (entrapment), Priddy “Trucks” Shaker Teether Books (choking), Sleepi Crib Foam Mattresses (entrapment), AC Adapters sold with Network Hard Disk Drives (burn), J.C. Penney Windsor Spindle-Back Side Chairs (fall), Los Angeles Salad Company Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots (bacterial infection)
FDA Plans To Study Effects of Direct-To-Consumer Prescription Drug Ads
By 8.23.07
Direct-to-consumer drug ads show pretty pictures of people laughing while running through fields of flowers and enjoying romantic dinners and such while a monotone voice speaks about side-effects like diarrhea, blot clots, and death. You’re watching, but are you really listening?
Melamine Found in Chinese-Made Walmart Dog Treats
By 8.22.07
Remember the dog treats that Walmart quietly pulled from its shelves instead of recalling? Walmart’s own tests have shown they were tainted with melamine, the same chemical that killed all those pets back in March. Fun.
FDA Reverses Course, Decides Now Might Not Be The Time To Close Half Its Field Labs
By 8.18.07
Bowing to pressure from Congress, the FDA has decided not to close more than half of its field labs. The ill-timed plan to consolidate seven of the agency’s thirteen labs in the name of efficiency and modernization was already under review by a Presidential panel, and had raised the ire of the powerful Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, John Dingell, who recently introduced legislation to block the reorganization.
