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UPDATE: New report says which formulas tested positive for melamine

by Beth Pinsker Nov 26th 2008 at 12:30PM

Filed under: Food, Recalls, Shopping

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Food and Drug Administration has found "one positive" sample of traces of melamine in infant formula made in the United States. The report doesn't give information on which baby formula tested positive, or which manufacturers are involved. It also doesn't give out any recall information or call to action for parents, as the government determined the level of melamine was not dangerous.

UPDATE: New detailed reports say that the formula in question that tested positive for melamine was Enfamil Lipil with Iron. Also, Nestle Good Start with Iron tested positive for a melamine byproduct.

The FDA says it's "no cause for concern," but try telling that to parents after melamine poisonings in China caused numerous deaths and many sick babies. I look at all recall reports as part of my job, but also as a concerned parent, and this one definitely made my heart start beating a lot faster -- all the more since my formula-guzzling daughter has been spitting up copiously for the last two weeks. Already the paranoid parent in me had me researching on the Web to see if she was having a reaction to her vaccinations, a reaction to her flu shot, an egg allergy, a simple virus, acid reflux or, the latest theory, a temporary lactose intolerance. Now I'm thinking, what if it's melamine?

This is the thinking that most of us go through now when they see these recall notices. The global nature of products makes us susceptible to breakdowns in the system far away from here. Last year's scares about lead paint really hammered that home. Recall notices on that score still come in fast and furious, but most major manufacturers are testing so rigorously now that most products don't make it to the market anymore if there's something amiss.

The latest rash of scary recalls have instead been about bad product designs and bad manufacturing -- cribs that don't work right, soccer nets that can choke and bassinets that collapse.

And now, melamine, not just in Halloween candy sold in Canada, but in nutrition for the most vulnerable among us. I'm glad the government has decided that this particular positive test is not dangerous, but I am waiting on baited breath for more information about brand names, and other testing.


Tags: infant formula, InfantFormula, melamine, recalls

Deadly soccer net sparks recall

by Beth Pinsker Sep 16th 2008 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Recalls, Shopping

This month is the 25th anniversary of Baby Safety Month, and after a quiet run on the recall front (tomatoes/jalepenos notwithstanding), there's a new set of deadly concerns for caregivers. China is in a crisis over baby formula tainted with melamine that has killed several children and sickened scores more. A set of bassinets by Simplicity was recalled at the end of August because of infant deaths. And now there is a recall of a soccer net that can cause strangulation in young children.

The soccer net death story that NPR tells is extremely scary and gets more personal than most recall stories out there, which tend to be publicized through wonky recall reports from the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CSPC). This isn't a story full of statistics or warnings, but the cautionary tale of a mother who lost her son in a horrible way when he got his head stuck in one of these nets (made by Regent Sports Corp.) The nets are made in China, but the defect seems to be that the grid on the net is in a 5-inch pattern, allowing for a small head to poke through, while nets with 4-inch openings are not in question.



Recent Recalls

    Soccer goals under the brand names MacGregor and Mitre that have mesh grids spaced 5 inches apart -- sold in Walmart and Ace hardware stores -- are being recalled because of a toddler death. A small head can slip through the mesh and get caught.

    U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

    Campbell Soup Asia Ltd. recalled 330,000 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup and creamy chicken mushroom soup distributed in Hong Kong and Macau after a number of complaints that some cans emitted an "objectionable smell."

    Kin Cheung, AP

    General Motors announced a recall of about 300,000 Chevrolet HHR SUVs from the 2006-2008 model years on Sept. 8 to replace a latch that keeps a glove compartment box closed, in line with a federal safety standard.

    GM / AP

    General Motors recalled nearly 1 million vehicles in August because of a problem with the windshield wiper fluid system that could lead to a fire. The affected vehicles include the 2008 Buick Enclave, 2006-2008 Buick Lucerne, 2006-2008 Cadillac DTS, versions of the 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, above, 2007-2008 Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Tahoe and Suburban, 2007-2008 GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon and Yukon XL, 2006-2008 Hummer H2 and 2007-2008 Saturn Outlook.

    Cadillac / AP

    Several major retailers have recalled Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets because the products pose a strangulation hazard, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall affects about a million bassinets.

    Consumer Product Safety Commission / AP

    Nestle Prepared Foods Company recalled about 215,660 pounds of frozen stuffed pepperoni pizza sandwich products, known as Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza, because the product might contain small pieces of hard red plastic and other foreign material, which pose a risk of serious injury to consumers.

    Ann Johansson, AP

    BMW recalled the 2006 3 Series, the 2004-2006 5 Series, and the 2004-2006 X3 compact sport utility vehicle over concerns that the front passenger air bag may not deploy in a crash.

    Steve Cannon, AP

    In early Sept., Sony announced that it was recalling 440,000 Vaio laptop computers worldwide due to a wiring flaw that could cause overheating.

    Koji Sasahara, AP

    On the heels of the huge nationwide salmonella outbreak that caused more than 1,400 illnesses from Mexican peppers, a regional Oregon alfalfa sprout distributor has recalled its product in Oregon and Washington state after the sprouts were linked to 13 cases of salmonellosis.

    Foodcollection



Source

Tags: china, recalls, toy safety, ToySafety

Continue reading Deadly soccer net sparks recall

Eliot Spitzer job hunts and other money news on June 11, 2008

by Beth Pinsker Jun 11th 2008 at 11:27AM

Filed under: Debt, Food, Shopping, Career, Recession



Tags: enron, gap, recalls, spitzer, spitzer scandal, SpitzerScandal, staples, trump

Danger: buy products at your own risk

by Geoff Williams May 7th 2008 at 9:00AM

I want to do something that isn't often done and pay homage to a government agency for a moment.

I'll say right off the bat, that I really have no deep understanding of the inner workings of this agency. For all I know, we'll read a few hours from now some scandal emitting from this department. But almost every day, for the last six years or so, I've been getting their emails, giving me an appreciation for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Some time ago -- and I'm not sure if it was for journalistic reasons or that I was about to become a parent and was suddenly worried about recalls of cribs, baby toys and the like-- but I signed up to get daily emails from the CPSC. If there's a recall on any product in the United States, I know about it. Well, unless I forget to look at the email. When you get approximately, I dunno, 250 a year, it happens.

I don't know what it says about the state of global commerce, but almost every day, there's a recall from some manufacturer in some part of the world, far more than the children's toys with lead that made headlines last year. Tuesday, for instance, it was dune buggies. If you own a Twister Hammerhead Dune Buggy, you'll probably be interested to know that TJ. Power Sports, of Irving, Texas, has recalled them. Seems that the seat belt adjustment for the shoulder buckle can break if there's an impact or stress. That's important because when you drive a dune buggy, that's supposed to happen. It's a DUNE BUGGY. Anyway, should that adjustment break, you might be ejected. Just so you know.


Tags: recalls

Continue reading Danger: buy products at your own risk

Ford recalls 225,000 vehicles -- again

by Amey Stone Feb 4th 2008 at 9:30AM

Filed under: Recalls, Transportation

As the proud owner of a 1999 Ford Taurus, which has served me and my family well all these years (I made my husband promise we would trade it in the first time it breaks down, but it never has), I always check the Ford recall news items. It seems like there is one every other month.

Today brings news of 225,000 cars recalled -- for the second time -- all because of a faulty cruise control mechanism. My car isn't on the list. In fact, all the recallees are from years 1992 to 1995. Models include the Bronco, F-Series, and Taurus SHO among others.

In my one experience with a recall, we brought the car back to have some kind of new part put in the wheel and when we drove off, it turned out the mechanic broke the stabilizer bar fixing the defective part. We were about to start on a family vacation and our car sounded like a brick in a clothes dryer.

Actually, that was the closest our car came to breaking down. We had to return to the dealer and leave on our vacation a day later. My husband was able to convince me that didn't count as a break down since the car actually could have run for miles with the broken part. That was about three years ago now.



Tags: Ford, recalls, Taurus

Recalls of decorative candles by two manufacturers

by Gary E. Sattler Jan 20th 2008 at 4:05PM

Filed under: Home, Recalls, Shopping, Health

recall notice logoIn two separate product lines by two different manufacturers, Pottery Barn and Wicks & Petals have issued recalls of decorative candle products.

In the first recall issued Friday, January 17, 2008, The Pottery Barn has recalled approximately 185,000 round and egg shaped decorative candles. The products are described as egg shaped as well as multiple round sizes. The candles can be found in green, gold, and white. They also sport adornments in gold and glitter.


Source

Tags: candles, manufacturers, recalls

Continue reading Recalls of decorative candles by two manufacturers

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