People who pay close attention to food recalls may have noticed a recent increase in reports of food products that have been recalled because there are metal pieces in them. Are they linked? Should we run magnets through all of our food just to be sure? The answers are “maybe,” and “no.” [More]
recalls
NHTSA Taking A Road Trip To Remind Motorists To Fix Recalled Vehicles
By 8.10.16
If you don’t remember to get your recalled vehicle fixed, what if some kindly bureaucrats came to the lot where you’re parked to remind you? That’s what employees of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and some auto manufacturers are doing this week. They’re on a tour that’s like a political campaign, but not asking people to vote: they’re asking motorists to repair their vehicles and install their child safety seats correctly. [More]
Turmeric Sold At Target, Big Lots, Supermarkets Recalled For Possible Lead
By 8.9.16
Turmeric is a spice that’s essential in South Asian Cuisine, and sometimes also used to make foods look more yellow or orange. If you’ve bought a jar of turmeric recently, heads up: bulk turmeric from distributor Gel Spice, Inc. that was repackaged under multiple brand names, including bottles sold at national retailers like Big Lots and Target, has been recalled because it may be contaminated with lead. [More]
Starbucks Recalling 2.5M Stainless Steel Straws Because They’re Cutting Kids’ Mouths
By 8.2.16
While it might be refreshing to drink a refreshing cold beverage delivered by an equally cold metal straw, it’s much less enjoyable when that straw becomes a stabby thing that can cut your mouth. [More]
Company Recalls Children’s Water Bottles Sold At L.L. Bean For Containing High Levels Of Lead
By 7.20.16
A company called GSI Outdoors is recalling about 6,700 kids’ insulated water bottles sold exclusively at L.L. Bean stores. Why? Because children shouldn’t be handling toxic lead. [More]
IKEA Recalls 1.7 Million Topple-Prone Dressers In China After Media Frenzy
By 7.12.16
Swedish home-goods merchant IKEA is a global retailer, which unites all of humanity in having the exact same dressers in our bedrooms. While the Malm and other dressers that are especially prone to toppling over were recalled in the United States and Canada, the company sold the products in its stores all over the world, and they weren’t recalled in other markets, notably the European Union and or China. Now, after two weeks of state-controlled media fuss, IKEA in China has recalled the dressers. [More]
Rainbow Chip Cake, Carrot Cake, Blueberry Pancake Mix Recalled Due To Possible E. Coli-Laden Flour
By 7.11.16
The massive flour recall due to E. coli contamination at a General Mills flour plant has expanded, and has now reached the shelves of cake and pancake mixes. Potentially contaminated products include Krusteaz blueberry pancake mix, and Betty Crocker rainbow chip and carrot cake mixes. Yes, those Betty Crocker rainbow chips. [More]
Massive IKEA Dresser Recall Means Long Phone Queues, Illegal Resales Online
By 7.1.16
IKEA is finally offering a fairly consumer-friendly recall on furniture that has tragically killed six children in the last three decades. Unfortunately, the massive recall effort is not exactly going as planned to keep the dangerous dressers out of consumers’ homes. [More]
FDA: Stop Eating Raw Cookie Dough Or Making Home-Made Play-Dough For Now
By 6.30.16
For years, raw chocolate chip cookie dough was a forbidden treat. Everyone said — rightly or wrongly — that you shouldn’t consume it because the uncooked eggs could make you sick. Then came special commercial dough preparations that worked around that, and there was much rejoicing (and many ice cream sales). But now, alas, cookie dough is back off the table, as are any other uncooked treats… and this time, it’s all down to the flour. [More]
CDC Figured Out The General Mills Flour Recall Because Some People Leave Flour In Bags
By 6.28.16
When you buy a new bag of flour, what do you do? Do you dump the bag out into a bin or canister in your kitchen, or do you scoop it out of the bag it came in? Both methods work fine, but it was the members of Team Bag who helped the Food and Drug Administration solve the mystery of a recent nationwide E. coli outbreak. [More]
HP And Sony Recall Laptop Batteries Due To Possible Overheating And Fires
By 6.27.16
Lithium-ion batteries are part of items that we use every day and we hardly think about them, but they can cause explosions and fires if they’re prone to overheating. That’s the case for batteries that are part of laptop computers sold in the last few years by HP and by Sony, and now those batteries have been recalled. [More]
Here Are All Of The Snacks Included So Far In The Peanut-Contaminated Flour Recall
By 6.14.16
Severe allergies to peanuts are terrifyingly common, which is why products get recalled when they could have just tiny amounts of the legume. After a commercial supplier recalled a batch of flour that may contain some peanut protein, snack-makers are recalling products made with the affected flour. Those snacks include major brands like Keebler, Famous Amos, Rold Gold, Mother’s, Murray, and Special K. [More]
Teva Pharmaceuticals Pulling Zecuity Migraine Patch After Users Reported Burns, Scars
By 6.13.16
Having a migraine can bad enough, but getting literally burned by a product that’s supposed to help alleviate that pain makes it an even more painful experience. That’s why the makers of a patch called Zecuity, which is marketed for migraine relief, are yanking it from shelves, after users reported burns and scarring. [More]
You Probably Just Shouldn’t Eat Anything With Sunflower Seeds In It For A While
By 6.10.16
Sunflower seeds are a satisfying snack, and especially good to eat during a long drive. They’re also a common ingredient in cereals, granola, granola bars, protein bars, cookies, and you can even buy sunflower seed butter. We didn’t realize quite how popular they are until a company called SunOpta found Listeria monocytogenes contamination after routine testing of their bulk sunflower seeds. Since then, companies from supermarkets to sporting goods stores have been recalling their products that contain sunflower seeds, and those little seeds are everywhere. [More]
New Legislation Targets Deadly Furniture Tip-Overs
By 6.9.16
Each year, some 25,000 Americans — mostly children — are injured or killed from furniture and other household appliances that tip over or fall because they are not properly secured. A new piece of legislation aims to reduce these potentially deadly incidents by establishing sturdier minimum standards. [More]
Inspector General: FDA Still Takes Too Long To Recall Tainted Food Products
By 6.9.16
Five years ago, the Food Safety Modernization Act granted the Food and Drug Administration the statutory authority to compel food producers to recall tainted products. However, a new report from a federal investigator shows that people are falling ill while the FDA sometimes takes months to issue recalls, even after it has evidence of contamination. [More]
CPSC Recalls Kids’ Jewelry Kits With Cra-Z Amount Of Lead
By 6.2.16
Last month, an investigation by New York state’s attorney general turned up craft kits marketed to children with 10 times the acceptable level of lead. While state attorneys general don’t have the power to order a recall, the AG forwarded the information to the Consumer Products Safety Commission and the distributors and retailers of the product. Today, the distributor announced a recall of the craft kits. [More]
Another 4.4 Million Cars From 11 Brands Recalled For Takata Airbags
By 6.2.16
Sometimes it might be shorter and easier to just publish a list of the vehicles that haven’t been recalled today. While cars continue to be manufactured and sold with the potentially harmful ammonium nitrate airbags, 2.4 million more vehicles containing the problematic safety equipment have been recalled in the last two days. [More]
