Those ubiquitous "Crocs" shoes (photo by antonde, left) and their many imitators are under fire again. Complaints to U.S. government regulators haven't apparently gone far enough for the government to take action. The Japanese government, however, has asked the company to redesign the children's shoes to protect their feet on escalator.
Crocs, Inc. (NADAQ:CROX) exploded with what intiially seemed to be a fad, and is now a business approaching $1 billion in annual revenues. Millions of pairs of shoes have been sold in Japan, and the government said this weekend that dozens of children suffered foot injuries, even losing toes, while wearing the platstic shoes.
See that picture? If your child has one of these colorful little gizmos, it's time to take the item away.
The toy is called the Imaginarium Actvity Center and was sold by Toys R Us from August of last year to February.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that it has received 12 reports of those cute little sliders coming off the Activity Center and creating a choking hazard for children. Given that the item sold for between $20 and $50, this isn't simply a dollar store tossaway item, but one that is worth pursuing.
First, take the Activity Center from your child.
Once you've done that, you can return the item to your local Toys R Us store for a refund. If you still have the box, you can check to ensure your particular model is covered because the item numbers 69042 (multi-sided) and 69083 (jungle) are printed on the back of the box, near the bar code.
Consumers with questions can call Toys R Us toll-free at (800) 869-7787 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday and between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning this weekend that cantaloupe from Honduras may be linked to salmonella.
The Honduran company, Agropecuaria Montelibano, is reportedly linked to dozens of illnesses throughout the US. The FDA is specific on action: if you've recently bought cantaloupe, check with the retailer to see if they can identify the company supplying the fruit. If they can't, throw the fruit away.
Symptoms of foodborne Salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. In persons with poor health or weakened immune systems, Salmonella can invade the bloodstream and cause life-threatening infections. Individuals who have recently eaten cantaloupe and experienced any of these symptoms should contact their health care professional.
Consumer Help Web warned consumers about lead in a child's bracelet nearly two years ago. One of the earliest very public recalls linked to products produced in China, toxic levels of lead in the bracelet were linked to a child's death. The bracelets were sold for two years at a price between $33 and $50.
Now the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced that Reebook will pay a record $1 million penalty related to the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA).
As part of the settlement, Reebok denied any wrongdoing or violating federal law despite the company's recall of 300,00 of the bracelets that the consumer watchdog group claimed had too much lead.
A new Carfax.com study shows that the number of "salvaged" cars checked by the company's customers increased 50% in five years.
This is big news and worth any consumer's time.
A salvaged car is one that has essentially been damaged to a point related to its value. That percentage varies from state to state and the calculation methods used vary from company to company. It obviously benefits some companies, such as an insurance company, to avoid declaring the car as a salvage vehicle and instead repair the vehicle.
But even when cars and light trucks were reported to the state as salvaged, they were often transported to other states where reporting requirements or other technicalities allowed someone to sell the car without disclosing the extensive damage. This practice is called "title washing", and while still seen today, companies like Carfax that pioneered the concept of national vehicle history, have surely cut down on the number of such vehicles.
Those salvage cars are out there, however, and the volume surprised Carfax, which eats, breathes and sleeps vehicle history information.
"This problem is more widespread than we previously thought," said Larry Gamache, Carfax's communications director in a statement. "Based on our data, the number one concern consumers should have right now, even above flood damage, is unknowingly buying a used car that was badly damaged in an accident. Buying a salvaged car may not be a bad investment, but you must make sure you're aware of any prior damage and, more importantly, see that the proper repairs were made.
After the US Department of Agriculture's surprise beef recall in February, we wrote about Consumer Help Web's disapproval of the process. On February 18, we chastised the federal agency, pointing out that "consumers have no way of knowing if tainted beef is in their freezer."
To make matters worse, USDA officials have told a Congressional committee that they are not allowed to nor do they intend to disclose the names of food distributors who may have received tainted meat products from Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company.
This position did not sit well with Congressional leaders, especially after a USDA spokesperson referred to the information as "proprietary". We join our voice with Representative Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), who candidly told USDA officials that information regarding safety hazards American consumers face are not "proprietary".
We understand the need for rules to help protect the interests of businesses and their employees (who are also consumers) when a company is under investigation. But three weeks after a so-called "recall", consumers still can't identify the products. We find that inexcusable.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, a federal agency operating with only 2 of 3 commissioners, continues to fumble through its mission while Congress, consumer advocates and the public swirl around the group in a messy melange of ideas.
CPSC staffing levels have dropped through the years to half of where they were when the agency was founded three decades ago. President Bush's attempt last year to fill temporary agency head Nancy Nord's role with a manufacturing lobbyist was met with derision and quickly withdrawn. Nord continues as Acting Chair of the agency while the House of Representatives and Senate consider legislation that would fund the organization to approximately $80 million while giving the group broader powers or potentially entangling the agency's mandate with states rights.
Our issues with the agency's rules are that recalls still remain voluntary and penalties are relatively minor. We support broadening the agency's role while giving informed consumers tools with which they can make good choices. Provisions for consumer databases exist in the Senate's floor bill (S. 2045) while legislation that passed the House calls for mandatory recalls.
"Both the Senate bill and the House bill passed earlier include important safety provisions that will help CPSC's ability to keep our children safe. We hope that the final conference bill will take the strongest language from both and give the agency the funding, staff and teeth they so desperately need," said Nancy Cowles, Director of Kids in Danger.
Kids in Danger has created a safety poster we'll be sharing later this week that shows recently recalled items that place children in harm's way.
In our opinion, neither piece of legislation is the best answer in its current form. Rather than throwing brickbats at the agency itself, we hope lawmakers will take a fresh look at this legislation and all safety issues.
Problems with jurisdiction already exist at the federal level. Complicating the matter by involving state Attorney Generals might be a recipe for more dangerous products being sold for longer periods of time. Other consumer advocates feel differently, but ultimately, this is more than an issue of stalled legislation. Consumer safety crosses race, gender and economic lines.
Food giant Cargill has recalled one million pounds of ground beef that was shipped to 10 states, mostly in the East. The company says that the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported a positive reading for E. coli contamination in meat processed October 8. The company also says no illnesses have been linked to the meat, but after the painful lesson from Topps this fall, wasted no time in recalling the meat.
The affected states are in the East, but who knows how food can travel? Better to be safe than sorry. The link above lists the ground beef recalled by brand names. The meat was sold at multiple stores including Giant, Giant Eagle and Wegmans throughout the East.
Consumers with questions about the recall should call Cargill at 1-877-455-103
We wrote over one month ago about three children who died while in their cribs and the manufacturer's impending recall. We also offered then as we do now to help any parent for free if they experience difficulties in having the manufacturer assist them with the crib recall.
Simplicity is now offering a free "repair kit" for Simplicity and Graco branded cribs. Consumers must register with the company to get the kit. The site is at simplicityforchildren.com. Parents can also call the company toll-free at 888-593-9274.
Although the launch of our recall site is days away, this issue bears repeating for all consumers. If you forwarded our last blog about this problem to parents, please make sure they have the updated information too.
This is why the federal government either needs better, faster regulatory and investigative resources or some sense of urgency. The public knew that this was an issue days ago. The medical community apparently knew months, if not years, ago. Even the companies that made the over-the-counter meds specifically for kids yanked them off the shelves before the hearings.
If an organization the size of McNeil (makers of Tylenol, St. Joseph Aspirin, Mylanta and others) can mobilize to pull medicine from retail shelves all over the country, why does it take a much smaller organization one week to pull together hearings? Why weren't there hearings the next day? What about the weekend? We work weekends sometimes. Do you? Why doesn't the FDA?
And if they do, where is the sense of urgency? We are happy to recognize the makers of the OTC medicines for children for acting fast while still wondering what they knew about this issue going into the fall of 2007. The FDA alone is not culpable. The USDA botched their recall of the tainted pot pies just weeks ago when everyone from the manufacturer to the CDC to the retailers yanked the food from the shelves.
Federal government must act faster. This is why Federal Express is used rather than the USPS when it absolutely positively has to be there overnight. This is why passport regulations are enacted and then lifted when family vacations and critical business trips were destroyed. No organization is perfect, but most private sector companies have some sort of disaster or crisis contingency plan. Our government is charged with many things and does well with some of them. Where they continue missing in the Year of the Recall is speed to take action.
Consumer safety continues to get short shrift, and that cannot continue.
Toshiba Recalls Portable DVD Power Supplies, Starbucks Pulls Kid Cups
First batteries, now power supplies. As we grow into a more wired society, those electronic components can be dangerous.
Toshiba (OTC:TOSBF) is recallingmore than 140,000 power supplies sold with its portable DVD player. The company says no consumers have injured but they have reports about two units overheating. his recall involves the AC adapter sold with the Toshiba portable DVD player Model SD-P1600. Toshiba and ADPV16 can be found on the side of the adapter. Toshiba, Model SD-P1600, and the serial number can be found on a rating label on the bottom of the cabinet for the DVD player. One guess to name the Asian country where these were made.
The electronics giant is telling consumers to contact them and stop using the unit. Call Toshiba Customer Solutions toll-free at (877) 290-6064 between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday for more information.
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More electronics recalls hit Home Depot (NYSE:HD). If you shopped there this summer for fluorescent light fixtures sold under the Lithonia name, you need to see if you have a bum product.
This recall involves the Lithonia Lighting Nickel End Wrap fluorescent ceiling light fixtures model number New 2 32 120 RE BN and date code N050807. Lithonia Lighting, the model number, and the date code can be found on the shipping box or on a label located inside the fixture, next to the fluorescent tube. To read the label on the fixture, consumers should turn the power off at the home's circuit breaker and remove the plastic cover of the light fixture. Light fixtures sold in a box marked with a round pink sticker are not included in this recall.
Home Depot is offering a full refund or exchange if you bring the unit back to them. If you don't know what you're doing and someone else installed this, please call an electrician!
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Aren't these cups cute? We thought so too. . But coffee retailer Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) has received 7 reports of the cup breaking and creating the potential to choke a small child. Starbucks also said they had received two such instances. Bring the cup back to the store, and Starbucks says they will provide a full refund and a free beverage (which may be more than the refund!). Need more info? Call Starbucks at (888) 288-4008 anytime.
Christmas Tree Shops is recalling nearly 10,000 candles that can cause a fire. A glitter decoration outside the candle is the culprit. The company says that consumers should stop using the candles and return them to the store for a refund. For more questions, call Christmas Tree Shops toll-free at (888) 287-3232 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. Be careful with these candles. They were sold during the 2006 holiday season, and you may have packed them away for this year.
In a year where federal regulatory agencies have come under sharp criticism for their delays in protecting American consumers, the business community decided to solve its own issues this week.
The federal Food and Drug Administration has scheduled hearings for next week regarding the safety of children under two using over the counter medicines that treat cold symptoms. The manufacturers of popular brands such as Dimetapp, Tylenol and Robitussin have all voluntarily begun pulling their infant formulations from grocery and drugstore shelves.
Even if the science proves that their formulations were wrong to begin with, we continue to question the effectiveness of nearly every federal agency charged with protecting consumers, especially the USDA and FDA. Attacking the CPSC is a more popular sport these days, but they appear to us to show a bias to action. Meanwhile, the FTC continues doing very well in shutting down the most egregious business operators, and the FCIC does a fine job educating consumers.
If consumer safety does not warrant a cabinet-level position, then what does? These are the clothes we wear, the appliances we use, the food we eat and the medicine that heals us. Shouldn't there be some level of oversight at a macro level that helps consumers? Having already done away with the federal Consumer Affairs office, we're left with a bowl of alphabet soup that doesn't work very well.
We would have saved news of an action like this for our weekly recall feature debuting this week, but can't because too much of this medication is not on store shelves, but on medicine cabinet shelves throughout the country. Help your children. Get rid of it now, and ask your pediatrician how to care for your small child.
Last month it was lead in toys -- an understandable if inexcusable issue. Then it was cribs that kill children and playpens that could hurt them. Now the medicine we give them to ease their colds (infant formulations of the medicine tens of millions of Americans ingest each year) are under fire.
And no one is watching out for the children. Let's reinvent government the other way for a change and put some consumer advocates in charge of the helter-skelter, hit and miss efforts of the individual agencies.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a directive stating that all passenger vehicles sold in the US by model year 2012 (typically in fall of the previous year) have new protection.
Head protection, sometimes called side curtain protection, is due to be phased in for 2010 model vehicles, just two years away. Full implantation throughout all new car models is due two years later.
Side protection is becoming more common in safety-conscious buyers, who until now have paid a premium for the protection in either higher vehicle prices or in a more expensive trim package that offers the additional protection.
Approximately half of 2008 model vehicles offer some sort of side protection. The federal agency said that hundreds of lives could be saved with full implementation.
Just as we were set to warn consumers about a mid-sized food recall, Topps Meat Company today announced that their ground beef recall has affected millions of pounds of the food.
According to the company and federal government, more than 21 million pounds of ground beef are at risk for carrying a bad form of E. coli, a disease that impacts many but can cause death in children, the elderly or those with other health problems.
This ground beef already bears a U.S. Department of Agriculture brand. Do not eat this food.
The USDA division charged with monitoring this food said today that they are investigating more than two dozen illnesses in Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The frozen meat was produced on various dates between Sept. 25, 2006, and Sept. 25, 2007. The food was throughout the NY area and then to states throughout the East and Midwest. Each package bears the establishment number “Est. 9748” inside the USDA mark of inspection as well as a sell-by date between “SEP 25 07” and “SEP 25 08.”
Brand names include Topps, West Side, Shop Rite and Roma among others.
Call toll-free to 888-734-0451 with questions about the recall.
Again forgetting the recriminations for today, we ask that you please help spread the word about Kolcraft play yards, what you and your parents called "playpens".
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has already linked the death of a 10 month old boy to the units. The strap across the changing table apparently poses a strangulation effort.
As with the infamous Graco/Aspen crib recall, Kolcraft is sending consumers a kit to fix the strap and eliminate the danger. Pundits say that a similar style of recall was insufficient for the crib manufacturer.
Consumer Help Web understands the financial burden parents of a new child face. These are relatively expensive units that cost between $50 and $130. If you have any doubt in your ability to properly fix the playpen, please dispose of it safely by dismantling it. Your child's safety is worth $130 or not having a playpen for a short period of time.
Reports are surfacing across the Internet that recalled goods are also surfacing at garage sales and even on eBay and other Internet auctions. "It's a natural and likely benign issue," said Consumer Help Web Chief Operating Officer George Bounacos. "If a parent doesn't learn about the recall and their child is not hurt, there is a booming unrecorded market in baby items passed among friends and relatives or sold at yard sales. Doing so is being a good consumer, but the buyer must research the item first."
The play yards recalled now were manufactured in China over a 6 year period. Kolcraft has received multiple reports of children rolling into unsafe positions in these units. The company says that consumers should immediately stop using the changing tables and rocking cradle and contact the firm. They should also immediately cut off and remove the existing changing table restraint strap. Consumers should always remove the raised changing table and cradle or bassinet before placing a child in a play yard.
For additional information, call Kolcraft at (888) 655-8484 anytime, or visit the firm’s web site at www.kolcraft.com.
All of that is good advice, but we remain committed to our advice to parents. If you feel like the repair is beyond you, dismantle the unit so no one else uses it and buy something safer. Please don't guess.
Also please remember to pass the word about the massive crib recall several days ago. Consumer Help Web will continue helping parents who face difficulties fulfilling the terms of this recall and waive our complaint resolution fee.
If you have an infant or know anyone who does, you must pass this information along today. Read this short piece, and get busy. Email it to your friends, and tell them to email their friends.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission and a large crib manufacturer have issued an immediate recall of 1 million cribs. Three children have died.
The cribs have the name Aspen and Graco.
The Aspen crib models are: Aspen 3 in 1, Aspen 4 in 1, Nursery-In-A-Box, Crib N Changer Combo, Chelsea and Pooh 4 in 1.
The Graco crib models are: Ultra 3 in 1, Ultra 4 in 1, Ultra 5 in 1, Whitney and the Trio.
More model numbers are found on the envelope attached to the mattress or on the label on the crib's headboard. The model numbers are 4600, 4605, 4705, 5000, 8000, 8324, 8800, 8740, 8910, 8994, 8050, 8750, 8760 and 8896.
Call the manufacturer now at 888-593-9274 if you own one of these cribs.
We never condone sp@m or unsolicited email. Today we're asking you to write everyone in your address book. Send them to this story, and we'll also point them to the great non-profit KidsInDanger.org. Their press release about the recall is in a free PDF file here.
As consumer advocates, we'll work with others to deal with recriminations and blame later. Today, we make the children safe. Consumer Help Web is waiving its $29.99 fee for any person who owns one of these cribs and can not get satisfaction. Complete our order form so we have the details, and skip the payment page. Those are being redirected to a special mailbox, and we will call you if you need help, but call the manufacturer first. They will be responsive. Let us know if they are not, and we will help you for free.
Well, maybe not me personally, by myself with a bag of Doritos and a Big Gulp perched on top of the cupholder since it won't fit inside the darn thing. But me and a couple of friends? Well, despite our relative success in life and being bright folks, we just may be too fat for our cars.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration long ago set "gross vehicle weight limits". Those rules essentially told manufacturers not to reinforce the chassis with tin foil, for example, because if a vehicle claimed to support a number of adults, each adult would be assumed to weigh 150 pounds. So a four passenger vehicle must carry 600 pounds safely.
Guess what? That includes luggage too.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the 21st century. Cars, those death traps Ralph Nader wailed about, got safer and more reliable. And Americans got heavier and fatter.
The Centers for Disease Control has data showing the average weight of the U.S. population going back to 2002. That study shows American men weighed an average of 190 pounds while American women weighed an average of 163 pounds. (The study also amusingly shows men's waist sizes as 39 inches, which is possible for taller guys, but we think some of those waist measurements were from the guys who wear their pants two inches below their waist.)
Think about the averages again. If 4 men are in a car, the old vehicle standards presumes they weigh 600 pounds. In reality, they weigh an average of 760 pounds. Four men from the old standard are the same weight as today's standard. USA Today examined this issue and spoke with auto manufacturers about overweight Americans exceeding their vehicle's weight limits. The manufacturers swear to the paper there is a safety limit involved because, as USA Today points out, two 200 pound men aren't supposed to be cleared to ride in a Corvette or a Miata. We believe the manufacturers are conservative just like they are when your vehicle's fuel gauge reads empty, and you know you can drive to the gas station.
What is most worrisome for us is the idea being bandied about now that insurance companies may soon be rejecting claims for structural damage to a vehicle if the combined passenger weight exceeds the manufacturer's posted weight.
Let's be clear. This is bad for consumers, this is bad for the insurance industry and this is bad for manufacturers who point at the government regulations. But those regulations are a minimum, the insurance companies know better and all the regulation in the world isn't changing that 190 pound statistic.
This is not a blog calling for a referendum on national healthy policy regarding obesity. We do need to address that issue through better education and reinforcement of the message. Just as smoking rates declined, obesity can also decline. But the facts are these:
American men in 2002 weighed an average of 190 pounds, not 150.
American women in 2002 weighed an average of 163 pounds, not 150.
Ask yourself this question: Are you weighing less today than you did five years ago? And then ask this question. Why can't two men of average weight (regardless of whether that weight is healthy, the number is the number) drive in a Corvette without the chance for an insurance company to claim the vehicle was improperly operated?
Fresh veggies can't catch a break. Bagged salad mixes are back in the news after food giant Dole said that bagged salad green mixes available in the United States and Canada showed signs of E. coli contamination.
The company said that about 5,000 bags of its "Heart's Delight" salad mix was potentially at risk. The product was sold in 3 Canadian provinces and Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,and Tennessee. The Canadian government has cautioned its citizens about eating the potentially tainted food. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is in talks with the company to determine a course of action.
The "Hearts Delight" mix that is affected has a "best if used by" date of September 19. In a written statement, Dole asked consumers not to eat the product and reminded them that produce should not be eaten beyond the "best date"; in other words, tomorrow.
More information is available from Dole at toll-free at 800-356-3111.
Another month, another Mattel recall. And what a surprise. This one also has addresses safety issues with toys manufactured in China.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said that that Mattel claimed no reports of injuries had occurred, but that parents and caregivers should immediately take the toys from children and contact Mattel for a replacement. The company has set up a toll-free hotline staffed around the clock at (888) 496-8330.
As the eBay season ramps up again, parents are especially cautioned to beware of toys being auctioned. A Forbes report claimed that the business magazine had found recalled toys for sale without warnings on the popular auction site.
The toys affected by this recall are shown below.
Product
Product Number
Date Code Number
Product Photo
Barbie® Dream Puppy House™ (lead paint on dog)
J9485
286-6JX through 365-6JX or 001-7JX through 232-7JX
(product number and date code are marked on the bottom of the house)
Barbie® Dream Kitty Condo™ Playset (lead paint on cat)
J9486
286-6JX through 365-6JX or 001-7JX through 232-7JX
(product number and date code are marked on the bottom of the house)
Barbie® Table and Chairs Kitchen Playset (lead paint on dog, chip platter, dinner plates)
K8606
All
(product number is marked under the table)
Barbie® Bathtub and Toilet Playset (lead point on cat)
K8607
All
(product number is marked under the tub)
Barbie® Futon and Table Living Room Playset (lead paint on cat)
K8608
All
(product number is marked on the cushion label)
Barbie® Desk and Chair Bedroom Playset (lead paint on dog)
K8609
All
(product number is marked under the desk)
Barbie® Couch & Table Living Room Playset (lead paint on purse)
Gerber Legendary Blades is recalling 154,000 knives made in...wait for it....China.
The company, a division of scissors maker Fiskars that is not affiliated with the baby food company, says that its Exchange-A-Blade pocket knives have a manufacturing defect. The back of the blade can slide past the support, according to the company, and cut a consumer. Gerber reported that the company was aware of eight such incidents, including several where the consumer needed medical attention and stitches.
The recall involves Gerber EAB Pocket Knives, model numbers 22-41548, 22-41548CDIP, 22-01548W and 22-41548W. Consumer should stop using the knife immediately and contact Gerber for a new knife. Calls are toll free at (877) 204-5510 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday.
Full page, color ads in major newspapers are showing up regarding the GE dishwasher recall. We reported on the details months ago when they became public, but there is apparently still not enough compliance.
Please do not use affected dishwashers until they are repaired or replaced. The details of the machines are in the link above and cover brand names Kenmore and Hotpoint, in addition to GE. The company is offering a free repair or a rebate amount of varying amounts on a new purchase. All of the affected units are more than five years old.
Consumers need to know that using the dishwasher with a liquid rinse can cause an electrical short-circuit, overheating and even fire.
Microsoft Corporation announced yesterday that an add-on device for their XBox 360 game console can overheat. No fires, injuries or other problems have been reported, but the company received dozens of complaints that the unit overheated and smoke was visible.
The company said consumers could fix the problem with the "Wireless Racing Wheel", but cautioned consumers that they should not use electrical power when using the device until they received a repair kit. Microsoft did not say when the kits would ship, and the federal government has not issued a recall notice.
The new console from Microsoft has taken its share of abuse. With a larger Sony installed base and tremendous buzz around Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's XBox was best known for its "red ring of death", the lights that displayed when some units locked up. The phrase was a play on words based on computer user's referring to failures in the company's Windows operating system as a "blue screen of death".
Blue or red, unplug your XBox's steering wheel until it is repaired.
Security lines are a necessary evil at airports. Comedian Bill Maher has a great schtick on flying without them, but no one wants to do that.
While everyone gets frustrated in a long line, frequent travelers -- the kind of passenger who take 20, 50 or even 100 flights a year -- often find themselves spending plenty of time on the other side of the detectors. Many have their own favorite lines and times, but one family with twins in strollers can change the day.
Registered traveler programs might be one answer. For about $100, passengers can opt to have a background investigation done and enter shorter lines. One such program, Clear by Verified Identity Pass is due to open at San Francisco's busy airport in September. Here's betting that the gateway to Silicon Valley (if you don't count San Jose...) will see more than its share of travelers sign up, which begs the question transportation officials have asked about their highways for years.
Seafood lovers may find their choices more limited at the supermarket after the Food and Drug Administration said some fish imported from China could be harmful. The government agency said that farm-raised fish from China being sold in the United States contained anti-bacterial drugs not approved for use in this country.
The FDA singled out popular seafood like shrimp and catfish, as well as basa, dace and eel. The levels of drugs found in the fish were low, but the FDA issued an "Import Alert" that gives the agency the authority to stop import shipments and test them for the drugs. Food companies are able to apply for exemptions if they meet certain criteria.
Growing concern over imported goods and a hyper-competitive market have prompted the federal government to issue a ruling that any mattresses not tested by the government would be considered unsafe and subject to recall. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the mattresses would be considered flammable.
A "narrow exception" has been made for medical beds meeting strict criteria.
On the heels of a huge recall of Thomas Railroad toys thought to contain lead-based paint, toy giant Fisher-Price is recalling nearly a million units for the same reason.
The New York based company said it had not received reports of injuries, but a chance existed that excessive lead based paint was used for toys based on popular children's characters. Those characters are from series such as Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, and Sponge Bob Squarepants among others.
The recalled involves various figures and toys that were manufactured between April 19, 2007 and July 6, 2007 and were sold alone or as part of sets. The model names and product numbers for the recalled toys, which are all marked with “Fisher-Price,” are listed below. The toys may have a date code between 109-7LF and 187-7LF marked on the product or packaging.
The toymaker also issued a large recall earlier this year for its "Little People Animal Sounds Farm". That toy had a loose fastener that injured at least one child that resulted in surgery. As part of that recall, Fisher-Price agreed to pay a civil penalty of nearly one million dollars. Another choking hazard in a Fisher-Price toy was also found earlier this year when 500,000 "Laugh and Learn Bunny Toys" were recalled. The recalls follow a relatively quiet 2006 that was marred only by a recall of 600,000 musical toy chairs that the Consumer Product Safety Commission said could trap a small child and lead to strangulation.
Fisher-Price is a unit of Mattel and conceded that the affected toys were made in China. The company instructed parents and caregivers to take the affected toys away from children immediately. Fisher-Price will issue a voucher for a replacement toy. Consumers can call toll-free (800) 916-4498 anytime for more information.
A recal that has nothing to do with China is newsworthy in and of itself, but this important recall focuses on baby food.
Gerber, now part of Nestle after being sold by huge European conglomerate Novartis, is recalling a half million units of baby food. The company said its oatmeal and rice products may not properly dissolve in water or milk and could pose a choking hazard by "clumping".
The company has recalled pacifiers, rattles and bottles this summer.
More than a million toys based on a popular kid series have been recalled after the company and Consumer Product Safety Commission determined that the exteriors were decorated with lead-based paint.
RC2 Corporation reported no children were injured after playing with the toys made in China. The company said the recall could cost up to $8 million and pledged to implement strict quality control measures.
The recall involves wooden vehicles, buildings and other train set components for young children listed in the chart below. The front of the packaging has the logo “Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway” on the upper left-hand corner. A manufacturing code may be located on the bottom of the product or inside the battery cover. Toys marked with codes containing “WJ” or “AZ” are not included in this recall.
Consumers who have one of the affected toys can call RC2 toll-free at (866) 725-4407 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Thursday and between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. CT Friday.
Lasko, a ceramic heater manufacturer, has recalled more than one million units after it disclosed to the government that the heater's electric cord can overheat and cause a fire.
The company said that it had received 28 reports of failed power cords and several reports of "minor property damage", but no consumers have been injured.
The heaters involved in this recall were all manufactured in 2005. Model numbers included in the recall are: 5132, 5345, 5362, 5364, 5420, 5532, 5534 and 5566. Model numbers are located on the bottom of the unit or at the rear of the base of the heaters.
Stop using the heater and contact Lasko toll-fee at 800-984-3311 with questions.
Following on the heels of its May recall of glassware, Pier 1 Imports is recalling more glassware. The retailer and the United States Consumer Product Safety Safety Commission say its Blue/Green Dual Glassware can unexpectedly break. The company said that it had received 21 reports of injures and broadened the recall as a result.
Consumers can return the glassware to the nearest retail location or call toll-free (800) 245-4595.
This is the second major recall for Pier 1 in less than a year. In fall 2006, the company recalled several thousand television stands after it said it learned of the death of a Canadian child who apparently was hit by a television that fell from one of the stands.
Officials, retailers and manufacturer's reps continue to acknowledge that counterfeit versions of Colgate toothpaste continue to be found on North American retail shelves.
The company's officials say that consumers should be on the lookout for misspelled words on the labeling, as well as the area of origin. The counterfeit toothpaste comes from South Africa, rather than labeled as coming from New York, the company official said.
Officials appear to be battling two issues: bacteria in some toothpaste that apparently originated in Africa and the presence of a poisonous chemical in other toothpaste that has been found in several states, including Virginia and Michigan.
The FDA is cautioning all consumers to read the labeling carefully. Colgate-Palmolive has published an image of what properly labeled toothpaste should look like. The company also said consumers could identify safe toothpaste in these ways:
* The words “Distr. by Colgate-Palmolive, New York, NY 10022” appear in the lower right-hand corner of a panel on the box. * In the white box that contains the UPC bar code, genuine Colgate products for sale in the U.S. begin with the code number 35000.
Safety will take some vigilance, but there appears to be no reason for consumers who use Colgate to stop doing so provided they take proper precautions
Those ubiquitous "Crocs" shoes (photo by antonde, left) and their many imitators are under fire again. Complaints to U.S. government regulators haven't apparently gone far enough for the government to take action. The Japanese government, however, has asked the company to redesign the children's shoes to protect their feet on escalator.
