consumer ally posts

"Made in China." It's the calling card of a staggering percentage of products that Americans buy. And what does that phrase conjure for you? Poorly made? Dangerous?

Ask America's top product safety official about Chinese-made products and you're going to get a different answer. She said change is already here -- asserting there's a new awareness among Chinese government officials and manufacturers that has led to a noticeable difference in imports from that country meeting U.S. standards.

In an interview with WalletPop.com, Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairwoman Inez Tenenbaum said recent law changes in the U.S. and a constant dialogue with the Chinese government is yielding results that should end up with American consumers feeling better about Chinese products.

Telebrands Corp., which nurtures inventions onto the infomercial screen, is recalling its Therma Scarf scarves after reports of at least five fires started by its microwaveable heat packs, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada said.

The fires were started in the flax-seed filled heat packs, which are warmed in the microwave. Three of the fires caused damage to the microwaves.

Telebrands is recalling 100,000 of the Chinese-made scarves, which were sold for $20-$25 at Bed Bath & Beyond, As Seen on TV kiosks in malls, infomercials and at www.thermascarf.com and www.asseenontvguys.com from October 2009 through January 2010.

If you have one of scarves you are asked to stop using it and return it to where it was purchased for a refund. Telebrands said it would contact all consumers who purchased the scarves through either infomercials or on the web with details about getting their money back.

For more information, call Telebrands at (800) 777-4034 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern Time.

Baby slings, an accessory that engenders strong feelings from parents and safety advocates on opposite sides, is being targeted by the U.S. Consumer Product Commission for a warning that they can be dangerous to infants.

"We know of too many deaths in these slings and we now know the hazard scenarios for very small babies, so the time has come to alert parents and caregivers," CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said in an address to the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association. "We want to empower them to make a decision that is best for the safety of their baby, while realizing that slings play a role in the bonding of baby and mother in many cultures."

The CPSC has issued at least four recalls of the slings for falling apart, including one that followed eight infants falling out -- four of whom ended up in emergency rooms. But it is not the risk of falls that has increased the focus on the slings -- which cradle infants in fabric worn around an adult's neck. It is the risk of suffocation.

An Oregon mother sued Infantino -- the manufacturer in the recall involving the eight falls -- after her 6-day-old son smothered in one of the slings last year. More than 40 sling-related injuries are suspected over the past decade -- including seven deaths.

Some parents swear by the slings as not only a convenience but a way to bond with an infant by "wearing" them as part of the "attachment parenting" credo. It is also a common practice in other parts of the world, such as in Africa and Asia. Safety advocates, on the other hand, point to the sometimes awkward positions infants can end up in and the risks of the fabric covering the nose and mouth.

The Food and Drug Administration has asked Procter & Gamble to recall two flavors of its Pringles chips due to possible Salmonella contamination. The chips are just the latest snack food to be recalled due to a flavor enhancer called Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, or HVP, that is used in a wide range of products and is tainted with Salmonella.

The two Pringles flavors being recalled are the Restaurant Cravers Cheeseburger (Super Stack Canister: 181 grams, UPC code: 37000 26936, with best by dates of 02/2011, 04/2011) and the Family Faves Taco Night (Super Stack Canister: 181 grams, UPC code: 37000 26773, with best buy dates of 03/2011, 04/2011, 05/2011).

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is moving toward forbidding companies that sell, make or import children's clothing from offering outerwear with drawstrings after a sweep by the agency found numerous violations of its 14-year-old guidelines regarding the products, WalletPop.com has learned.

A recent string of food recalls over the potential for Salmonella poisoning that started with little detail or connection has grown into a massive series of recalls affecting potentially thousands of products using an obscure ingredient that is tainted: Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP).

HVP, a flavor enhancer that typically contains MSG and is found in a wide variety of foods including chips and dips, salad dressings, soups and even burritos. Because the ingredient can be used in almost anything, the scope is potentially staggering.

Over the past week, at least a half-dozen companies have announced related recalls and given the enormity of the list of the lot numbers being recalled by the manufacturer -- Basic Food Flavors of Las Vegas -- it's apparent it's going to keep growing.

Among the product recalls announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration so far:

• Reser's potato salads and dips
• Marzetti refrigerated dips
• Castella chicken soup base
• Hawaiian brand potato chips and onion rings
• A wide range of Follow Your Heart brand prepared food products

The recalls include products made over several months and, due to the shelf life of many of the products, many are likely to still be in people's homes. HVP tested positive for Salmonella at the Basic Food plant, according to some of the companies announcing recalls.

A database of products known to have used this ingredient is now available on the FDA site.

Because the FDA does not have the authority to issue recalls itself, the agency urges companies it knows have a product with health concerns to issue recall notices (the FDA then posts those notices). Because the releases are done by the individual companies they lack uniformity and don't always identify the source of potential contamination or identify it in the same way, creating some confusion about links between different recalls.

UPDATE: The FDA later in the day issued a statement acknowledging the scope of the potential contamination.

"Our investigators were able to identify this problem before any illnesses occurred," FDA commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg said in the statement. "While the investigation is continuing, the agency is supporting reasonable steps to continue to protect the public health."

The FDA said that it investigated the Basic Food Flavors plant after one of its customers reported finding Salmonella Tennessee in one of the lots of HVP.

The agency took samples and found that strain of Salmonella in the company's equipment. All HVP made their since Sept. 17, 2009 is being recalled.

Salmonella poisoning can cause a wide range of gastrointestinal problems and can be particularly dangerous to the young, old and those with compromised immune systems.

After years of virtual silence about the labeling tricks food companies play on consumers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration came out with a loud and clear statement that it will start cracking down on misleading, or flat out wrong, labels.

FDA officials sent warning letters to 17 food manufacturers, telling them that 22 different products are in violation of federal law. On top of that, FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg, published an open letter to the food industry highlighting the importance of being honest with consumers.

"Today, ready access to reliable information about the calorie and nutrient content of food is even more important, given the prevalence of obesity and diet-related diseases in the United States," Hamburg wrote. "The use of front-of-pack nutrition symbols and other claims has grown tremendously in recent years, and it is clear to me as a working mother that such information can be helpful to busy shoppers who are often pressed for time in making their food selections."

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced four separate recalls involving sweatshirts for children.

You would think 14 years after the clothing industry was told to stop putting drawstrings in hoods the practice would have stopped.

Drawstrings have been implicated in strangulation deaths of children and were essentially banned in 1996 when the CPSC issued guidelines for clothing manufacturers and importers. All three of the recalled lines were manufactured in China; one included some made in Pakistan.

Three of the recalled lines were sold at Burlington Coat Factory stores.

Refunds will be issued by Ticketmaster to consumers who purchased tickets to 14 Bruce Springsteen concerts last year and were either overcharged or didn't receive any tickets at all, the Federal Trade Commission said Thursday.

Ticketmaster drove prospective purchasers from its main ticket-selling site to its reseller TicketsNow.com, charging a premium for its own tickets. And not every ticket sold even existed, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a conference call with reporters. A settlement of the complaint lodged by the FTC was filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

The FTC said that from October 2008 to February 2009 Ticketmaster showed consumers a message -- for Springsteen concerts as well as other events -- that no tickets were available and then direct them to TicketsNow, where prices could be four times the face value.

Scams targeting those who can least afford to be ripped off continue to be among the most prevalent frauds committed, according to the National Consumer League's just released 2009 Fraud Center report.

Topping the list are phony check scams, which now make up more than 42 percent of all complaints. Scammers send worthless checks to the victim as a payment -- typically for some sort of business opportunity, sweepstakes winnings or a good being sold -- under the premise that the victim send part of the expected proceeds back to them (before they figure out the check is going to bounce, of course). When the bank later determines the check is no good, the person who cashed it ends up being on the hook.

"Consumers are looking for ways to supplement their income or learn new skills," NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg said in a statement accompanying the report. "Unfortunately, fraudsters know this all too well and they target vulnerable consumers with business opportunity or scholarship-related scams."

Kevin Trudeau, the star of late night long-form TV ads promoting his own books filled with questionable claims, will be the first one to tell you of his contempt for the government and courts that have tried to rein him in.

The normally cocky and unapologetic pitchman with a large and loyal following left U.S. District Court in Chicago with his tail between his legs after being held in criminal contempt of court. Trudeau tapped into the raw energy of those who cling to his words like the gospel and asked them to email notes of support for him to Judge Robert Gettleman. The judge got the message as hundreds upon hundreds of emails filled his inbox -- still pouring in even as Trudeau stepped into the courtroom.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is issuing a crib recall and warning anyone with Generation 2 Worldwide or "ChildESIGNS" drop side cribs to stop using them following reports of the deaths of three babies. At least a half million of the cribs are believed to have been sold by the now defunct company.

"Infants and toddlers are at risk of serious injury or death due to strangulation and suffocation hazards presented by the cribs," the CPSC said in a written statement. "CPSC staff urges parents and caregivers to stop using these cribs immediately and find an alternative, safe sleeping environment for their baby."

Toymaker Schylling Associates, which makes classic toys including many with the Curious George and Thomas & Friends brands, was accused of knowingly selling tens of thousands of its products that had lead paint in violation of federal law, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced.

Although the company denied it broke any federal laws in agreeing to the settlement, Schylling agreed to pay a $200,000 penalty. The toys were sold in 2001 through 2003 but were not reported to the government, as required by law, until 2007, when they were recalled.

"Manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers have a legal obligation to ensure that no banned products are introduced into or distributed in the U.S. marketplace, and to inform CPSC as soon as they become aware of information that must be reported under our laws," CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said in a written statement. "We will continue to penalize companies that do not follow these basic requirements."

If you've bought a wonderfully smooth, silky feeling piece of clothing supposedly made from environmentally-friendly bamboo -- chances are you've been duped.

More than six dozen companies -- including some of the nation's biggest retailers -- are being warned by the Federal Trade Commission to stop mislabeling clothing and textiles made of rayon as being made from bamboo. In all, the FTC contacted 78 companies, including Wal-Mart, Target, Saks and Nordstrom, that they could be in violation of federal law by making the claim.

Necklaces sold by Walmart as souvenirs of Disney's most recent princess movie -- "The Princess and the Frog" -- are being recalled because of high levels of the heavy metal cadmium, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

The recall by jewelry and trinket maker F.A.F. Inc. was prompted by Disney, which made it clear that it would not allow makers of its licensed merchandise to produce them with cadmium. Walmart recently cleared its shelves of products that tests had shown contained cadmium. Walmart also said it would work with the CPSC as the safety agency decided how to handle the unregulated carcinogen, which is also toxic to young children.