white noise

Congress To Bush: How About A Mortgage Czar

Congress To Bush: How About A Mortgage Czar

By consumeristcarey 10.4.07

Leaders of the House and Senate will fight the ongoing subprime meltdown by demanding that President Bush appoint the weakest of government figureheads: a czar. American czars have guided failed federal policy on energy, food safety, borders, drugs, AIDS, and the Iraq war. The appointment of a mortgage czar might be the strongest signal yet that all is lost; recession, if not a crash, a near certainty.

Democrats say they will offer a plan for increased funding for foreclosure prevention, and will seek to temporarily lift limits on the portfolios of government-sponsored Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which could help the housing market if they were allowed to handle more expensive mortgages.

Kraft Introduces New Butter Flavor Containing Diacetyl, The "Popcorn Lung" Ingredient

Kraft Introduces New Butter Flavor Containing Diacetyl, The "Popcorn Lung" Ingredient

By 9.25.07

Recently, after numerous complaints of serious illness from popcorn workers and one complaint of illness from a consumer, ConAgra and Pop Weaver removed diacetyl from its microwave popcorn and now proudly announce to their customers that their product is diacetyl free. Kraft, on the other hand, decided that now would be a good time to introduce a brand new diacetyl-based butter flavor into the market.

92% Of Americans Want Country Of Origin Labels On Food

92% Of Americans Want Country Of Origin Labels On Food

By 7.12.07

According to a national survey conducted by Consumer’s Union, the non-profit organization that publishes Consumer Reports, 92% of Americans want country of origin labels on their food. Country of origin labels are required on all imported food, thanks to a 5 year old law, but that law has never been enforced.

Ohio Company Used Melamine In Animal Feed

Ohio Company Used Melamine In Animal Feed

By 5.31.07

A company in Ohio has voluntarily recalled a binding agent used to make “pellet” type feed for fish, goats, cows, and whathaveyou, because it contained melamine.

Menu Foods Bullies Pet Owners To Settle Food Contamination Lawsuits

Menu Foods Bullies Pet Owners To Settle Food Contamination Lawsuits

By 5.29.07

Menu Foods’ latest strategy to become the most hated company since Halliburton has revealed itself in some interesting court papers.

Walmart, Menu Foods, Del Monte Sued Over Pet Food Debacle

Walmart, Menu Foods, Del Monte Sued Over Pet Food Debacle

By 5.18.07

Schwinger alleges that his dog Sandy, an otherwise healthy 2-year-old, had to be euthanized as a result of eating Menu Foods’ Ol’ Roy Pet Food and Del Monte’s Canine Carry-out Bacon Bite, which were purchased at a Wal-Mart store in Cassville.

Tainted Chinese Product Was "Wheat Flour" And It Was Also Fed To Fish

Tainted Chinese Product Was "Wheat Flour" And It Was Also Fed To Fish

By 5.10.07

We’ve decided to take a week off and let the chemical melamine write the blog, because our feeble minds can not comprehend the extent of the contamination that has entered our food supply. Today’s news is that it is not “wheat gluten” that contaminated the pet food that has killed thousands and thousands of pets, but “wheat flour.” What’s more, the wheat flour was also used as food for fish that were meant for human consumption.

There's Salmonella In The Target Risotto

There's Salmonella In The Target Risotto

By 5.7.07

Like that Archer Farms Four Cheese Risotto you bought from Target? Too bad, throw it out. Random testing by the FDA found salmonella contamination. Don’t you dare eat the following:

Manager of Chinese Wheat Gluten Manufacturer Arrested

Manager of Chinese Wheat Gluten Manufacturer Arrested

By 5.3.07

The mystery of the poisoned pet food continues to unravel as Mao Lijun, head of the Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company, has been arrested and is being held “in coastal Jiangsu Province, about 320 miles northwest of Shanghai, though a police spokesman in Pei County declined to say on what charges,” according to the New York Times.

FDA Names "Food Safety Czar"

FDA Names "Food Safety Czar"

By 5.2.07

The FDA has appointed a “Director of the Food Safety and Security Staff,” which the media has shortened to “Food Safety Czar.” The new Director of Food Safety is David W.K. Acheson, M.D, whom we will, naturally, be nicknaming “David W.K.”

The Anatomy Of The "Dangerous Levels Of Mercury In CFLs" Myth

The Anatomy Of The "Dangerous Levels Of Mercury In CFLs" Myth

By 5.2.07

A woman in Maine broke a CFL and, rather than carefully cleaning the mess up herself, she called Home Depot. They told her not to vacuum, and directed her to call Poison Control. Poison Control directed her to the Maine DEP, who then sent an agent. The agent told her to call in a toxic waste team to give an estimate. Naturally, they told her it was going to be around $2,000. She heard that number, walled off the bedroom and alerted the local media.