Food Manufacturers Confess They Have No Idea if Their Food is Safe

By Janelle Sorensen
(Thanks to Janelle for her permission to re-post this article.)

I, like many others, have lost track of all the food recalls that have happened in the last 18 months. Pot pies, pizzas, peanuts, tomatoes, egg rolls, spices, flour, and more. The number of illnesses and the amount of food thrown away is staggering.

Fortunately, none of the tainted foods have impacted my kitchen. Our culinary choices thus far have been safe. But, my faith in the FDA, who I once relied on as an invisible guardian watching over my plate, has been shattered. My optimistically naïve belief that food, of all things, should be safe, has gone the way of childhood beliefs in Santa and the Easter Bunny. And, I’m not just being dramatic – here’s why:

According to an article in the New York Times, “increasingly, the corporations that supply Americans with processed foods are unable to guarantee the safety of their ingredients…companies do not even know who is supplying their ingredients, let alone if those suppliers are screening the items for microbes and other potential dangers…”

They don’t know where the ingredients are coming from? Seriously??

Commence paranoia.

Not only are many major manufacturers openly admitting that they’re pretty clueless about what’s in their food, instead of owning up to their mistakes, they’re placing the burden for safety on the consumer. We are now responsible for what’s called “the kill step,” and it’s not clear what that entails. Some companies are resorting to detailed diagrams and “food safety” guides outlining how to heat foods in a microwave and then check the temperature in several locations with a food thermometer. Others advise against using a microwave altogether. Frozen convenience foods suddenly seem very inconvenient.

Even if simply educating people to warm food to an adequate temperature was a reasonable solution, which it’s not, it wouldn’t address non-pathogenic contaminants like the arsenic found in a huge variety of processed foods around the globe a few months back.

What’s a mother to do? I’ve been a loud proponent for whole foods, local and organic when possible, for many years now, but I still have some processed foods in my pantry. I mean, who really makes things like crackers and cereal from scratch? I also buy a lot of frozen veggies – and I’ve never checked to see if I’ve warmed them to 165 degrees.

Clearly, we have problem on our hands. What do you think should be done? Do you think food safety is up to the consumer? Do you think it’s up to the government? What if safer food meant it cost a bit more? Are you willing to pay?

Find more from Janelle Sorensen at Healthy Child Healthy World, WebMD, MomsRising, and on Twitter (@greenandhealthy).

Follow me on Twitter!

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Stonyfield Farm recalls plain fat free yogurt

Stonyfield Farm is voluntarilly recalling some of its 32 oz Plain Fat Free Yogurt. After receiving reports of a “funny taste” they determined that the food grade sanitizer used to clean the equipment was not properly rinsed away. No illnesses have been reported, however, Stonyfield decided to take immediate action.

Look at the time stamp on your Stonyfield 32 oz Plain Fat Free yogurt container and take it back to the store for a full refund if your yogurt has:
May 06 09 22 timestamp 22:17 through 23:59
May 07 09 all time stamps

Visit their website for more information. The recall info is on the homepage.

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Products affected by peanut butter recall

The FDA is warning people not to eat any products containing peanut butter because of a salmonella outbreak. Officials say the major brands of peanut butter, sold in jars and plastic containers are not a problem.

Nearly 500 people have gotten sick from salmonella poisoning in 43 states. The contamination may also be linked to six deaths.

The FDA has created a searchable database for the recalled products. It seems like the list will continue to grow, so it would be wise to check it before consuming any peanut butter containing foods.

Here is a list of the products so far recalled:

Peanut Corporation of America, King Nut and Parnell’s Pride
Several King Nut and Parnell’s Pride-branded peanut butter products and peanut butter paste made by Peanut Corporation of America have been recalled. These products were sold to institutions and food processors, not retailers.

The original recall, announced Jan. 9, was expanded several times — on Jan. 13, Jan. 16 and again on Jan. 18. The following is an updated list of all products associated with the company’s recalls:

Stock # — Pack Size — Description

551000 — 6 ct / 5 lb — Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter
551000 AZ — 6 ct / 5 lb — Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter with Sugar
551006 — 6 ct / 5 lb — Crunchy Stabilized Peanut Butter
551020 — 35 lb — Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter
551022 — 35 lb — Natural Course Peanut Paste
551025 — 35 lb — Old Fashioned Creamy Peanut Butter w/ 1% Salt
551026 — 35 lb — Old Fashioned Crunchy Peanut Butter w/ 1% Salt
551034 — 35 lb — Crunchy Stabilized Peanut Butter
551035 — 35 lb — Crunchy Natural Peanut Butter
551040 — 35 lb — Creamy Natural Peanut Butter
551049 — 50 lb — Sugar Free Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter
551050 — 50 lb — Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter
551050-PO — 50 lb — Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter with Palm Oil
551050-D — 50 lb — Dark Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter
551050-XS — 50 lb — Creamy Extra Stabilized Peanut Butter
551051 — 50 lb — Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter with Monodiglyceride
551053 — 50 lb — Crunchy Stabilized Peanut Butter
551053-OS — 50 lb — Extra Crunchy Stabilized Peanut Butter
551059 — 475 lb — Creamy Natural Peanut Butter with Stabilizer
551060 — 35 lb — Organic Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
551061 — 35 lb — Organic Old Fashioned Crunchy Peanut Butter
551062 — 35 lb — Organic Crunchy Natural Peanut Butter
551063 — 35 lb — Organic Old Fashioned Creamy Peanut Butter
551064 — 35 lb — Organic Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
551072 — 45 lb — Peanut Butter Variegate
551080 — 475 lb — Creamy Natural Redskin Peanut Butter with Salt
551082 — 475 lb — Creamy Natural Peanut Butter
551082-DR — 475 lb — Dark Roasted Creamy Natural Peanut Butter
561000 — 35 lb — Pet Food Paste
561000 — 475 lb — Feed Grade Peanut Butter
100TPASTE — 1700 lb — Creamy Natural Peanut Butter
RM-PASTE — 1700 lb — Peanut Paste

Lot Numbers Affected by Above:
8183 8184 8185 8186 8187 8188 8189
8190 8191 8192 8193 8194 8195 8196 8197 8198 8199
8200 8201 8202 8203 8204 8205 8206 8207 8208 8209
8210 8211 8212 8213 8214 8215 8216 8217 8218 8219
8220 8221 8222 8223 8224 8225 8226 8227 8228 8229
8230 8231 8232 8233 8234 8235 8236 8237 8238 8239
8240 8241 8242 8243 8244 8245 8246 8247 8248 8249
8250 8251 8252 8253 8254 8255 8256 8257 8258 8259
8260 8261 8262 8263 8264 8265 8266 8267 8268 8269
8270 8271 8272 8273 8274 8275 8276 8277 8278 8279
8280 8281 8282 8283 8284 8285 8286 8287 8288 8289
8290 8291 8292 8293 8294 8295 8296 8297 8298 8299
8300 8301 8302 8303 8304 8305 8306 8307 8308 8309
8310 8311 8312 8313 8314 8315 8316 8317 8318 8319
8320 8321 8322 8323 8324 8325 8326 8327 8328 8329
8330 8331 8332 8333 8334 8335 8336 8337 8338 8339
8340 8341 8342 8343 8344 8345 8346 8347 8348 8349
8350 8351 8352 8353 8354 8355 8356 8357 8358 8359
8360 8361 8362 8363 8364 8365 8366
9001 9002 9003 9004 9005 9006 9007 9008 9009
9010 9011 9012 9013 9014 9015 9016

PCA Stock # — Pack Size — Description

561058 — Tanker — Coarse Natural Paste

Lot Numbers Affected by Above:
8169
8170 8172 8173 8174
8184 8185 8186 8187
8203 8204 8205 8206
8214 8215 8216 8217 8219
8220 8221 8222 8223 8225 8226 8227 8228
8259
8260 8261 8262 8263 8264
8280 8281 8282 8283
8302 8303 8304 8305 8308 8309
8310 8311
8343 8344 8345 8346 8347
8350 8351 8352

For information on Peanut Corporation of America-related recalls, call 1-877-564-7080 or visit www.peanutcorp.com.

Kellogg’s, Keebler, Austin and Famous Amos cookies, crackers and snacks
On Jan. 16, Kellogg recalled several Austin-, Keebler- and Famous Amos-brand cookies, crackers and snacks. People should destroy the following snacks, all produced after July 1, 2008, and seek a refund from Kellogg Consumer Response Center at 877-869-5633.

Austin Quality Foods Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter – all sizes
Austin Quality Foods Cheese & Peanut ButterSandwich Crackers – all sizes
Austin Quality Foods Mega Stuffed Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter – all sizes
Austin Quality Foods PB & J Cracker Sandwiches – all sizes
Austin Quality FoodsSuper Snack Pack Sandwich Crackers
Austin Quality Foods Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers – all sizes
Austin Quality Foods Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter – all sizes
Austin Quality Foods Reduced Fat Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
Austin Quality Foods Reduced Fat Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
Austin Quality FoodsCookie/Cracker Pack
Austin Quality FoodsVariety Pack
Keebler Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers – all sizes
Keebler Toast & PB’n J Flavored Sandwich Crackers – all sizes
Keebler Toast & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers – all sizes
Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies (2- and 3-ounce)
Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies (2.5-ounce)

City Line distributors
On Jan. 16, another tub of King Nut peanut butter was found to be contaminated with salmonella, this time at City Line distributors, in New Haven, Conn. It was the first unopened tub of peanut butter to show contamination, convincing officials that they had identified the source. The distributor had already sent possibly contaminated peanut butter to Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Hy-Vee cookies, party mixes and fudge
On Jan. 17, Hy-Vee Inc., of Des Moines, Iowa, recalled cookies, party mix and fudge because those products may be contaminated with the bad peanut butter. The products recalled, including products with all “sell-by dates” sold at Hy-Vee stores in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota, include:

Peanut Butter Cookies
Monster Cookies
Peanut Butter Reese’s Pieces Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lunchbox Reese’s Pieces Cookies
Lunchbox Peanut Butter Cookies
People Chow Party Mix and Assorted Truffle Fudge

Perry’s, Wegmans and Shurfine ice cream
On Jan. 17, Perry’s Ice Cream recalled a number of ice cream products distributed to New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia that may contain tainted peanut butter. Consumers should destroy the ice cream and call Perry’s Consumer Affairs Department for a refund at 1-800-873-7797 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday EST. For updated recall information, or to leave a message during non-business hours, please call 716-562-0260.

Here’s a list of the recalled ice creams:

Perry’s Premium Peanut Butter Cup Craze Ice Cream 1/2 Pint
Perry’s Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.5 QT, 1.75 QT AND 3 GL
Perry’s Peanut Butter Chip Frozen Yogurt 1.5 QT, 1.75 QT and 3 GL
Perry’s Peanut Butter Sundae Crunch Ice Cream Bar Bulk 24 pack
Perry’s Premium Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream 1.5 QT and 1.75 QT
Perry’s Perfectly Churned Light Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.5 QT and 1.75 QT
Perry’s Light Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.75 QT
Shurfine Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.75 QT
Wegmans Chocolate Nutty Cone Ice Cream 1.75 QT
Wegmans Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.75 QT and Pint
Wegmans Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream 1.75 QT
Wegmans Peanut Butter Sundae Ice Cream 1.75 QT
Wegmans Peanut Butter Pretzel Ice Cream 1.75 QT
Wegmans Peanut Butter Crunch Ice Cream Bar 6 pack
Wegmans Peanut Butter Candy Sundae Cup Ice Cream 4 pack
Wegmans Peanut Butter Sundae Cup Ice Cream 4 pack

McKee Foods’ Little Debbie brand sandwich crackers
On Jan. 18, McKee Food Corp. announced the recall of two Little Debbie products, both of which were manufactured after July 1, 2008, and both of which are manufactured by the Kellogg Company, which has previously announced recalls associated with its use of Peanut Corporation of America peanut paste:

Little Debbie Peanut Butter Toasty sandwich crackers — all sizes.
Little Debbie Peanut Butter Cheese sandwich crackers — all sizes.
Consumers who have purchased the recalled products are urged to discard the crackers but retain the freshness code and contact the company’s Consumer Affairs at 1-800-522-4499. The FDA press release on this recall did not specify whether or not the company is offering a refund.

South Bend Chocolate Company and retail brand chocolates
Also Jan. 18, the South Bend Chocolate Company, of South Bend, Ind., recalled several chocolate products, produced under its own brand and for other unspecified retailers after July 1, 2008:

South Bend Chocolate Company Assorted chocolates: 5 ounce (Product 121)
South Bend Chocolate Company Assorted chocolates: 8 ounce box (Product 122)
South Bend Chocolate Company Assorted chocolates: 12 ounce box (Product 123)
South Bend Chocolate Company Assorted chocolates: 26 ounce box (Product 124)
South Bend Chocolate Company Hoosiers 5 ounce (Product 010, UPC# 4482300011)
South Bend Chocolate Company Hoosiers 3.5 ounce (Product o11, UPC# 4482300010)
South Bend Chocolate Company Valentine Heart, 14 ounces (Product 1020)
The following recalled chocolates were sold to retail stores in bulk for sales of of smaller quantities directly to customers. (TDG note: It’s not clear how customers can distinguish these products from those from other manufacturers without asking the retailer who its supplier is.)

4.5 lb. Peanut Butter Fudge, Product 228
4 lb. Hoosiers, Product 410
5 lb. Peanut Butter Meltaway, Milk Chocolate, Product 204
5 lb. Peanut Butter Meltaways-Dark Chocolate, Product 204D
4.5lb Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge, Product 229

Consumers should return the product to the place of purchase. For information, contact The South Bend Chocolate Company at 574-233-2577.

Ralcorp, Lofthouse, Food Lion, Parco Foods’, Chuck’s Chunky, Pastries Plus and Wal-Mart peanut butter cookies
Also Jan. 18, Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products recalled several products sold at its Food Lion stores because the products were made with peanut products from Peanut Corporation of America. All products will have a lot code of 9200 or less.

Food Lion Bake Shop peanut butter cookies (sold nationwide in 12-count clear plastic clamshell containers in the in-store bakery sections of Food Lion grocery stores)
Lofthouse peanut butter cookies (12-count, sold nationwide in clear plastic clamshell containers at in-store bakery sections of grocery stores)
Lofthouse peanut butter no-bake cookies (12-count, sold nationwide in clear plastic clamshell containers at in-store bakery sections of grocery stores)
Lofthouse peanut butter fudge no-bake cookies (9-count or 12-count, sold nationwide in clear plastic clamshell containers at in-store bakery sections of grocery stores)
Parco Foods’ Chuck’s Chunky food serve brand peanut butter cookies (distributed nationally in 5-lb. boxes in the food service channels)
Pastries Plus gourmet cookies (sold in 21-count plastic containers in select club stores nationally.
Wal-Mart Bakery peanut butter cookies (sold in the in-store bakery section in all state except Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hamshire and Maine)
Wal-Mart Bakery peanut butter no-bake cookies (sold in the in-store bakery section in all state except Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hamshire and Maine)
Wal-Mart Bakery peanut butter fudge no-bake cookies (sold in the in-store bakery section in all state except Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hamshire and Maine)
Additional information about Wal-Mart brand cookies recalled:

Description — SKU (scan number on product bottom)

Wal-Mart Bakery Peanut Butter Cookie, 12 Count Clear Plastic Container — 70897161809
Wal-Mart Bakery Harvest Peanut Butter Fudge No-Bake,9 Count Clear Plastic Container — 70897190990
Wal-Mart Bakery Peanut Butter Fudge No-Bake, 9 Count Clear Plastic Container — 70897190954
Wal-Mart Bakery Peanut Butter Fudge No-Bake, 12 Count Clear Plastic Container — 70897161843
Consumers can get a full refund from the place of purchase. For information, call 1-888-421-4699.

Meijer peanut butter sandwich crackers and ice cream
On Jan. 19, Meijer recalled peanut butter sandwich crackers and ice cream sold in its stores and gas stations in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.

Meijer Cheese and Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, UPC #0-41250-56235
Meijer Toasty Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, UPC #0-41250-56239
Meijer Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream, UPC #00000007-19283-96635-3
Meijer Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream, UPC #00000007-19283-96843-2
Consumers can get a refund by returning the product to Meijer. For more information, call 800-543-3704.

City Market, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, QFC and Smith’s ice cream
Also Jan. 19, Kroger recalled two ice cream varieties sold at City Market, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, QFC and Smith’s stores in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming:

Private Selection Peanut Butter Passion Ice Cream sold in 48-ounce containers with a “Sell by” date of 9-13-2009 under the following UPC Code Number: 0001111054437.
Private Selection Peanut Butter Passion Ice Cream sold in 56-ounce containers with a “Sell by” date of 8-11-2009 under the following UPC Code Number: 0001111052816.
Consumers can return the product to the store of purchase for refund or replacement. For more information, contact Kroger toll-free at (800) 632-6900 or www.kroger.com/recalls.

Abbott’s ZonePerfect and Nutripals peanut butter bars
Also Jan. 19, Abbott Nutrition recalled three energy snack bars sold in the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand and Singapore (but not Canada):

ZonePerfect Chocolate Peanut Butter bars, all sizes and quantities
ZonePerfect Peanut Toffee bars, all sizes and quantities
NutriPals Peanut Butter Chocolate nutrition bars, all sizes and quantities
Consumers can get a refund by contacting Abbott Nutrition Consumer Relations at (800) 986-8884, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET.

Clif Bar, ZBaR and Luna energy snack bars
Also Jan. 19, Clif Bar & Company recalled several products sold in grocery, warehouse and other retail stores throughout the United States:

Clif Bar Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch
BEST BY/SELL BY: 21JUN09 to 01OCT09, and 03NOV09 to 28NOV09
Clif Bar Crunchy Peanut Butter
BEST BY/SELL BY: 21JUN09 to 01OCT09, and 03NOV09 to 28NOV09
Clif Bar Peanut Toffee Buzz
BEST BY/SELL BY: only 13SEP09
ZBaR Peanut Butter
BEST BY/SELL BY: 07JUL09 to 05SEP09, and 12NOV09
Clif Builders Peanut Butter
BEST BY/SELL BY: 19JUL09 to 30SEP09, and 05NOV09 to 18NOV09
Luna Nutz over Chocolate
BEST BY/SELL BY: 29JUL09 to 03OCT09, 11NOV09 to 14NOV09
Luna Peanut Butter Cookie
BEST BY/SELL BY: 02OCT09 to 03OCT09, and 11NOV09 to 14NOV09
All Clif Mojo Bars
BEST BY/SELL BY: 30APR09 to 21JUN09

Consumers should save the “Best By/Sell By” code found on the back of the package and seek a refund by contacting Clif Bar & Company at 1-800-CLIFBAR (1-800-254-3227). For more information, visit www.clifbar.com.

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Infant death prompts recall of 1.6 millions cribs

I am expecting in 5 weeks and all these crib and bassinet recalls are pretty unsettling. Please check the www.cpsc.gov website to make sure you do not have a crib of bassinet affected by any of these recalls.

From USA Today:

Federal regulators announced the recall today of 1.6 million drop-side cribs following the death of an infant.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says an 8-month-old baby “became entrapped and suffocated when the drop side of the crib detached in a reassembled crib where the safety pegs were not installed.”

Other children were trapped because of the defect, the agency says.

The recall includes 985,000 Delta Enterprise cribs that were manufactured in Taiwan or Indonesia and have the ‘“Crib Trigger Lock with Safety Peg” drop side hardware design.”

“The recalled cribs have date codes ranging from 1995 though December 2005 and one model (4624) was made in 2007,” the CPSC announcement says. “The model numbers are located on the top of the mattress support board.”

The recall also involves 600,000 Delta drop-side cribs that were made in China before 2006.

“We’re erring on the side of caution,” Jack Gutt, a spokesman for New York-based Delta Enterprise, tells the Associated Press. “Anyone who calls and has these cribs that were constructed in these time periods, we’re going to send anybody and everybody either additional safety pegs or the retrofit kit.”

Learn more at www.cribrecallcenter.com. You can also call (800) 816-5304.

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Chinese milk scandal widens

This just gets worse and worse. The Chinese milk scandal has spread basically to anything made with any milk product whatsoever. Baby cereal, baby food, even those made by Heinz, has been tested and has confirmed unacceptable levels of melamine. Bread, cookies, crackers, chocolates, cheese powder made for Pizza Hut are on the growing list – all found to have unacceptable levels of melamine.

This is so troubling – 4 infants have died, more than 50,000 infants are sick, and too many of those have acute kidney failure. Now a mother and her children from Taiwan have kidney stones from eating tainted Chinese products while in the country. Even baby zoo animals have fallen ill after being fed the tainted milk.

While the FDA is close watching all import, please people, read the packaging to see where the product was made. If it was made in China, don’t buy it or eat it!! The list of contaminated food products grows daily. I am just all out boycotting ANYTHING made in China. Many toys, clothing items and shoes have been recalled for lead, food has been tainted with melamine. They obviously have no value on human health, so I have no faith or value in anything coming out of that country. And even US companies who manufacture their products in China really have no control on what actually goes on in their factories and it’s quite obvious by the number of recalls that they do not independently test for lead once the finished product his US soil.

Please read this press release for an update on what products are known to be contaminated today – of course that list is likely to grow by tomorrow.

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More information surfaces on China formula recall

There are now 3 infant deaths, over 6,000 are sickened and 158 infants have accute kidney failure that are all known to be a direct relation to drinking the Chinese formula laced with Melamine. The melamine was added to the milk to give it the protein it was lacking.

Here is the most sad and shocking thing. The formula manufacturer, Sanlu, along with other government officials, knew about the tainted formula in early August, but delayed going public with the information as to not harm China’s image among the hype of the Olymipc Games in Beijing. For good reason, Sanlu’s chairwoman has been fired from the company and arrested.

Among the other offending companies are Beijing Olympics sponsor Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group and China’s biggest dairy producer, Mengniu Dairy, which plans to recall “unfit” products.

Excerpt:

The scare has rippled beyond China’s borders with the top quality watchdog saying two manufacturers were recalling milk powder exported to Yemen, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Gabon and Burundi. It was not clear whether those exports were contaminated. Hong Kong food inspectors ordered the recall of an ice cream bar made by Shanghai Yili AB foods because melamine had been found.

and another:

The escalating scandal is an embarrassing failure for China’s product safety system, overhauled last year to restore consumer confidence and preserve exports markets after a string of warnings and recalls involving tainted toothpaste, faulty tyres and pet food laced with melamine.

Really? You think this is embarrassing for China? It’s a tragedy. These officials put China’s “image” ahead of human lives. Now 3 infants are dead, 158 have acute kidney failure and over 6,000 others are sick because of their decision. I am willing to bet they are regretting not going public sooner. It may have at least prevented some of these illnesses.

This really sickens me. While breastfeeding is the best for nearly all infants, there are medical reasons why some infants can’t take breastmilk or mother’s can’t offer it. These babies certainly deserve much better than this. After trying to avoid China-made products, toys in particular, I am going to have to go on an all-out ban until they get their sh– together.

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Pet Food Recall, many brands affected

Mars Petcare US announced on September 12th, 2009, a voluntary recall of products manufactured at its Everson, Pennsylvania facility. The pet food is being voluntarily recalled because of potential contamination with Salmonella. This voluntary recall only affects the United States. 

Salmonella can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination caused by handling of the pet food, in people as well, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems.  Healthy people potentially infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. On rare occasions, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain.  Animals can be carriers with no visible symptoms and can potentially infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

Brands include (and there are “types” affected in the brands, so please see the entire article for product codes):
Country Acres
Doggy Bag
Member’s Mark
Natural Cat/Dog
Pedigree
Ol’ Roy
Paws N Claws
Pet Pride
PMI Nutrition
Red Flannel
Retriever
Special Kitty
Wegman’s

Read the entire FDA release here.

2 death from Chinese Formula – FDA warns parents to not purchase Chinese made formula

This is just horrible. Two infants have died in China from drinking formula tainted with Melamine. Officials believe Melamine was added to give the appearance the powdered formula contained more protein than it did. Over 1200 other infants are known to be sick and I am sure that number is expected to rise. The tainted formula has caused kidney stones in infants, a usually very rare condition in babies.

The FDA has put out a statement telling parents to avoid formula manufacturered in China. According to a news report this morning, it sounds like Chinese-made formula in the US is mainly limited to Chinese grocery stores and neighborhoods, but it is still wise to read ALL formula labels prior to purchasing.

Melamine is the same plastic that was found in pet food a few years ago that caused kindey failure and death in many beloved pets. Melamine is also a common medium used to make children’s plates. I have tossed out all my Melamine plates.

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Simplicity and Graco Bassinet/Co-Sleeper Recall

What the crap?? A Chicago Tribune article reports that a bassinet manufacturer and federal officials knew of 2 infant deaths directly related to the bassinet a full TWO WEEKS before reporting it to the public. This is INSANE!!!

If you are using a Simplicity or Graco bassinet, PLEASE read here and make sure your bassinet is not affected by the recall, and let your friends and family know as well, so this does not happen to another infant.

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Bassetbaby, EStyles recall products for hazards

Forbes Magazine reports:

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Bassettbaby and eStyle Inc. each voluntarily recalled certain products because of potential hazards.

The government watchdog said Bassettbaby recalled about 550 of its Wendy Bellissimo Hidden Hills collection of cribs. The spindles could loosen, “creating a gap that poses an entrapment and strangulation hazard,” the CPSC said in its statement. There have been no reports of injuries.

The cribs are made in China and were sold for about $400 at Babies “R” Us. Consumers can return them for full reimbursement or free replacement, the agency said.

EStyle, based in Los Angeles, has recalled its Mini Chef Complete Toy Kitchens because the pegs supporting the oven shelf and refrigerator can come out, causing a choking hazard.

The toys were made in Thailand and sold at Babystyle stores last year for about $200.

Neither company immediately returned calls seeking comment.