Recalled items

[David Paleg]

McDonald's pulls cadmium-tainted 'Shrek' glasses
Jun 4, 5:19 AM (ET)
By JUSTIN PRITCHARD

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Cadmium has been discovered in the painted design on "Shrek"-themed drinking glasses being sold nationwide at McDonald's, forcing the burger giant to recall 12 million of the cheap U.S.-made collectibles while dramatically expanding contamination concerns about the toxic metal beyond imported children's jewelry.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the voluntary recall early Friday, warned consumers to immediately stop using the glasses; McDonald's said it would post instructions on its website next week regarding refunds.

The 16-ounce glasses, being sold for about $2 each as part of a promotional campaign for the movie "Shrek Forever After," were available in four designs depicting the characters Shrek, Princess Fiona, Puss in Boots and Donkey.

The CPSC noted in its recall notice that "long-term exposure to cadmium can cause adverse health effects." Cadmium is a known carcinogen that research shows also can cause bone softening and severe kidney problems.

In the case of the Shrek-themed glassware, the potential danger would be long-term exposure to low levels of cadmium, which could leach from the paint onto a child's hand, then enter the body if the child puts that unwashed hand to his or her mouth.

Cadmium can be used to create reds and yellows in paint. McDonald's USA spokesman Bill Whitman said a pigment in paint on the glasses contained cadmium.

"A very small amount of cadmium can come to the surface of the glass, and in order to be as protective as possible of children, CPSC and McDonald's worked together on this recall," said CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson. He would not specify the amounts of cadmium that leached from the paint in tests, but said the amounts were "slightly above the protective level
currently being developed by the agency."

Wolfson said the glasses have "far less cadmium than the children's metal jewelry that CPSC has previously recalled."

Concerns about cadmium exposure emerged in January, when The Associated Press reported that some items of children's jewelry sold at major national chains contained up to 91 percent of the metal. Federal regulators worry that kids could ingest cadmium by biting, sucking or even swallowing contaminated pendants and bracelets.

The consumer protection agency has issued three recalls this spring for jewelry highlighted in the AP stories, including products sold at Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer; at Claire's, a major jewelry and accessories chain in North America and Europe; and at discount and dollar stores.

Those recalls all involved children's metal jewelry - and all of that jewelry was made in China.

Manufactured by ARC International of Millville, N.J., the glasses were to be sold from May 21 into June. Roughly seven million of the glasses had been sold; another approximately five million are in stores or have not yet been shipped, said Whitman.

Associated Press reporters tried unsuccessfully to buy the glasses late Thursday at McDonald's in New York, Los Angeles and northern New Jersey but were alternately told the merchandise was sold out, no longer available or "there'll be more tomorrow."

E-mails sent after business hours to two spokesmen for ARC International seeking comment were not immediately returned.

McDonald's said it was asking customers to stop using the glasses "out of an abundance of caution."

"We believe the Shrek glassware is safe for consumer use," Whitman said. "However, again to ensure that our customers receive safe products from us, we made the decision to stop selling them and voluntarily recall these products effective immediately."

Whitman said that as the CPSC develops new protocols and standards for cadmium in consumer products, "we adjust as necessary to ensure that our customers can continue to trust what they receive from McDonald's."

Federal scrutiny of the glasses began last week. The Washington office of U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, a California Democrat who has proposed strictly limiting cadmium in jewelry, received what a spokesman described as an anonymous tip that testing with an X-ray gun that estimates how much cadmium an item contains indicated the metal was present in the glass paint. Speier's office requested samples of the glasses from the tipster, and upon receiving them May 27 sent them to the CPSC for further investigation.

"Our children's health should not depend on the consciences of anonymous sources," Speier said in a statement Friday. "Although McDonald's did the right thing by recalling these products, we need stronger testing standards to ensure that all children's products are proven safe before they hit the shelves."

[cgarison]

That is an Egg McMuffin on Ronalds face.

[David Paleg]

Chrysler to recall 25,000 to fix gas pedals
BY JUSTIN HYDE
FREE PRESS WASHINGTON STAFF
Posted: June 5, 2010

WASHINGTON -- Chrysler said Friday it would recall 25,000 Dodge and Jeep vehicles in the U.S. to fix sticking gas pedals made by the same supplier involved in the recall of 2.3 million Toyota vehicles for the same problem.

Chrysler told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that because the 25,263 2007 Dodge Calibers and 71 Jeep Compass models were equipped with brake-override software, it did not consider the problem a safety defect, but would conduct a voluntary recall anyway.

The automaker said the problem stemmed from a manufacturing defect at CTS that caused the bearing housing to be made too large, a problem CTS corrected in March 2006. Chrysler estimated that only 30% of the vehicles covered by the recall would actually have the problem.

In addition to the U.S. vehicles, Chrysler's recall also covers 5,572 cars in Canada, 2,260 in Mexico and 1,536 elsewhere.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Maytag dishwasher recall: Fire risk affects 1.7M
June 4, 2010
USA Today
By Bob Riha, Jr.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Whirlpool's Maytag unit is recalling about 1.7 million dishwashers because of a fire hazard.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the recall Thursday, says the company has received 12 reports of electrical failures in the dishwasher heating element that led to fires and damage.

One kitchen fire caused extensive damage, the agency said. No injuries have been reported.

The recall includes Maytag, Amana, Jenn-Air, Admiral, Magic Chef, Performa by Maytag and Crosley brand dishwashers with plastic tubs. The recalled dishwashers were made with black, bisque, white, silver and stainless steel front panels and sold at department and appliance stores nationwide from February 2006 through April 2010. They cost between $250 and $900.

CPSC advises consumers to immediately stop using the recalled dishwashers and disconnect the electric supply by shutting off the fuse or circuit breaker controlling it.

Consumers can schedule a free in-home repair or receive a rebate of $150 or $250 toward the purchase of select new Maytag dishwashers. The amount of the rebate depends on the type of model to be purchased.
The recall is Maytag's second of more than a million major appliances in a little more than a year. It recalled 1.6 million refrigerators because of fire risks in March 2009.

Whirlpool, based in Benton Harbor, Mich., bought Maytag in March 2006 in a $1.8 billion deal.

More information on the numerous serial numbers involved in the recall can be found at Maytag's website ( https://repair.maytag.com/prjjck10/default.jsp ) or the website for the Consumer Product Safety Commission ( http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10255.html ).

[CoolBreeze]

If the Japs had made the pedals in Japan, they wouldn't have this problem. More American craftsmanship at work.

[genlock]

Look for the union label.

[Dave Allen]

I have a case of about 100 of these sitting in my office. Should I be concerned?

[Greg Goodfellow]

Nah-just send them to the Gulf for use in scooping up tarballs. Just tell the folks to wear Haz-Mat suits-that's just for handling the glasses. Handling tarballs might be safer. Don't transport them in Calibers or Jeeps.

[fearpeddler]

I have a case of about 100 of these sitting in my office. Should I be concerned?

probably

[cgarison]

Add Kroger Ice Cream to the list.

http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/06/1 ... ngredient/

Kroger recall: Ice cream has potentially dangerous ingredient
Alysse DalessandroAlysse Dalessandro RSS Feed
Jun 11th 2010 at 3:45PM

Kroger ice cream recallMidwest grocery chain Kroger has issued a recall of some of its ice cream because the labels do not disclose the presence of tree nuts, which can cause serious, even life-threatening problems for someone who is allergic. The ice cream was sold in 17 states.

Tree nuts include cashews, walnuts and pecans -- but not peanuts -- and can produce serious, life-threatening reactions to an allergic person. For someone with such food allergies, the label is the first line of defense.

The FDA's Food Allergen Labeling Consumer Protection Act of 2004 requires that the presence of eight major allergens including tree nuts, must be labeled on a food product. An estimated 30,000 people a year end up in emergency rooms due to food allergies.

Though the threat only pertains to those with a tree nut allergy, containers of Kroger Deluxe Chocolate Paradise are being recalled from stores in all of the 17 states in which they are sold. The ice cream is safe for those not allergic to tree nuts.

The ice cream can be returned to any Kroger store for a refund or replacement. Also included in the recall are Jay C, Food 4 Less, Hilander, Owen's, Pay Less and Scott's stores in Illinois and Indiana, but no other stores operated by Kroger under different names.

The ice cream was sold in the following states, according to Kroger: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

Kroger, which has been aggressive with its food recalls, also has an alert system that allows the company to notify purchasers of the ice cream if they have a store affinity card.

For more information, call Kroger at (800) 632-6900 or visit the company's recall site.

See full article from WalletPop: http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/06/1 ... _copyright

[David Paleg]

Fresh Express Salads Recalled
Expired Bags Of Salad Might Have Been Contaminated With E. coli

POSTED: 12:28 pm PDT July 15, 2010
UPDATED: 1:21 pm PDT July 15, 2010

MONTEREY, Calif. -- Fresh Express has issued a voluntary recall of certain romaine lettuce salad products that might have the potential to be contaminated with E. coli bacteria.

The products have expired use-by dates of July 8-12 and an "S" in the product code. No other Fresh Express salads are included in the recall.

No illnesses have been reported in association with this recall, according to a news release by the Monterey County Department of Health.

Consumers are urged to check refrigerators for expired Fresh Express romaine salad with use-by dates of July 8-12 and an "S" in the product code If found, do not consume and immediately discard it. Consumers with questions may call the Fresh Express consumer response center at (800) 242-5472, Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. – 8 p.m., Pacific Time.

See a list of the recalled products here (pdf file).