Tammy Bruce: Recalls Archives

Recalls Archives

Chinese-Made Heparin Contaminent Identified

Maybe everything from China is cheaper because they use deadly counterfeit ingredients. As some are now suggesting on the internet, let's have the Chinese make our nuclear weapons, too, if it's such a great bargain and China is such a great friend.

FDA identifies contaminant in blood thinner
The substance wouldn't have occurred naturally in the heparin from China, the agency says, suggesting a counterfeit drug could be involved. The import may have led to the deaths of up to 19 in the U.S.

The Food and Drug Administration said today it has identified a mystery ingredient that contaminated a type of blood thinner imported from China that could have led to as many as 19 U.S. deaths and hundreds of severe allergic reactions among frail patients.

FDA Deputy Commissioner Janet Woodcock said the contaminant would not have occurred naturally in the many steps involved in processing the blood thinner heparin. That raised the possibility that a counterfeit drug could ultimately be blamed in the case.

"At this moment, we don't know whether it was introduced intentionally or by accident," she said. Officials stopped short of saying they suspected the heparin to be counterfeit, but they clearly indicated they were investigating that possibility.

Gee, like when the Chinese laced toothpaste and cough syrup with antifreeze? And the time they sent melamine for use as a pet food ingredient? Like those other possibilities of counterfeit ingredients?

Pet Food Company Announces Settlement

Diamond Pet Foods has announced a $3.1 million settlement with pet owners whose pets dies or suffered as a result of contaminated food manufactured by Diamond.

Maker of tainted dog food to pay $3.1M

COLUMBIA, S.C. - A company that made contaminated pet food that killed dozens of dogs nationwide will pay $3.1 million in a settlement with pet owners, an attorney said Friday.

The pet food, which contained a mold called aflatoxin, was produced at Diamond Pet Foods' plant in South Carolina. The company will set up a fund to reimburse pet owners for the loss of their dog, veterinarian bills and the cost of any unreturned contaminated food, said attorney Jim Andrews, who represented a Knoxville, Tenn., family that sued the company.

Posted by Tammy · January 4, 2008 12:59 PM · Permalink · Comments (1)
Animal Issues | Justice/Judiciary | Recalls

Another Chinese Toy Recall

Gee, I wonder if this would be enough for President Bush to admit the Chinese are at war with us? Or maybe he'll explain the Chinese simply have a different cultural view of what's fun. (HT Art Gal).

Posted by Tammy · December 19, 2007 11:01 AM · Permalink · Comments (8)
Children | Internationalism | Recalls

Let's Just Admit China's At War With Us

The Starbucks children's mugs being recalled

This is getting ridiculous. It makes tonight's little demonstration debate with the Repubs, and all their talk of "free trade" nauseating. (HT Pat S.)

Starbucks recalls 250,000 kids' plastic cups

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp, the world's biggest coffee shop chain, recalled 250,000 children's plastic cups made in China after receiving reports of the cups breaking and posing a choking hazard.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said Starbucks received seven reports of the cups breaking, including two reports in which a child began to choke on a piece of the cup.

'Free' Trade all right--free to kill our pets, free to poison our food, free to hurt our kids. And Congress sits around trying to figure out more ways to do nothing, or score political points and appease special interest groups. Oh yeah, when they're not busy looking for sex with strangers in bathrooms. Seriously, when is enough enough?

Suddenly, whenever I think of Washington, DC, I have a special new appreciation for Joseph-Ignace Guillotin.

Related Link:

CPSC: Starbucks Recalls Children's Plastic Cups Due to Choking and Laceration Hazards

Posted by Tammy · October 9, 2007 08:14 PM · Permalink · Comments (8)
Fed Incompetence | Recalls

Mattel Apologizes...to China

We're all mad here

In a stunning turn of events worthy of the Mad Hatter and the ultimate example of kow-towing, Mattel has apologized to China for the rash of recalls of Chinese-made toys. While Mattel design has been responsible in part for some of the recalls, the truth of the matter is China has been sending poisoned and defective goods to the United States. Period. For Mattel to apologize to that dangerous communist pit is astounding. The Motley Fool also has a few choice words about our leap through the looking glass.

Mattel Begs for Forgiveness -- From China!

"I'm sorry you sent us lead-tainted and defective toys that we had to recall -- three times!"

You can file the above paraphrased quote in the "man bites dog" news file, but reports today that Mattel (NYSE: MAT) issued a bizarre apology to its Chinese toy manufacturers are, well, bizarre. As we all know, Mattel announced three huge recalls this summer when it was discovered that toys sourced from China failed lead paint tests or had parts that posed dangers to children...Mattel CEO Bob Eckert has made several emotional pleas in the media since these events, saying that as a father, he too is concerned about the danger his company's toys are posing. He stressed that his company would be doing all it could to remedy the situation.

Now, it seems that part of Mattel's solution is helping China save face by accepting full responsibility for the problem. A little more than a week ago, I asked if we could believe Mattel. Today, the answer is "apparently not."...

It seems to me that Mattel is extremely worried about this coming Christmas season. For whatever reason, this about-face about who's at fault positions the company as extremely vulnerable and desperate. While CEO Eckert said the company's deeds would speak louder than its words, what Mattel is saying right now sounds highly suspect -- and less than believable.

Related Links:

Statement From Mattel On Meeting in China

In the meantime, here are some other recalls of products from China for which, no doubt, they will want apologies from us (HT Pat S.):

Cribs Are Recalled Due to Suffocation Risk

...The cribs were manufactured in China. The CPSC said it is aware of two deaths in the cribs with older-style hardware, including a 9-month-old child and a 6-month-old child, where the "drop-side" of the crib was installed upside down...

Lead Concerns Trigger Lunch Box Recall

Tests found elevated levels of lead in three of the boxes, which were made in China and given out at health fairs and other events, said officials of the state Department of Public Health. They carried a logo saying, "Eat fruits and vegetables and be active."

Back to Basics Products Recalls Iced Tea Makers Due to Fire Hazard

Name of Product: IT400 Iced Tea Makers
Hazard: The iced tea maker’s components can fail, posing a fire hazard to consumers...
Manufactured in: China

And let's never, never forget the recall that swept back the curtain on the poison flowing into this nation from China--melamine in pet food, murdering thousands of loved pets across the country.

Perhaps Mattel will apologize for that, too. Perhaps we should boycott Mattel. Now that's an idea worth toying with.

Posted by Tammy · September 21, 2007 05:50 PM · Permalink · Comments (3)
Corruption | Hypocrisy | Internationalism | Recalls

Chinese Toy Boss "Kills Himself"

What surprises me is not the supposed "suicide" but that most of the Western media is reporting it without any question about its veracity. The BBC story a cite below at least implies, a little, that something isn't right with this report. How typical, though, that the depraved Communist pit of China figures killing symbolic individuals will wash it clean of the establishment's involvement in the poisoned and defective exports.

To say nothing that more dead people are supposed to make the world more comfortable going to China for the Beijing Olympics. Not for everyone apparently, especially those pesky Human Rights activists who have started a worldwide torch relay to encourage a boycott of those game. Good for them.

Chinese toy boss 'kills himself'

The boss of a Chinese toy firm involved in a huge safety recall has committed suicide, Chinese media has said. Zhang Shuhong, who co-owned the Lee Der Toy Company, was reportedly found dead at his factory in southern China.

About 1.5 million toys made for Fisher Price, a subsidiary of US giant Mattel, were withdrawn from sale earlier this month. Many were made by Lee Der...Zhang killed himself on Saturday, according to the Southern Metropolitan Daily and other news sources.

He reportedly hanged himself in his factory.

"When I rushed there around 5pm, police had already sealed off the area," the newspaper quoted a manager at the firm as saying. "I saw that our boss had two deep marks in his neck."

The news report did not give a reason for Zhang's apparent suicide, but Lee Der was known to be under pressure after the huge product recall.

Posted by Tammy · August 13, 2007 10:17 AM · Permalink · Comments (4)
Corruption | Recalls

New Botulism Warning, Now for Green Beans

Completely unrelated to the existing canned meat botulism recall. Here are the details. Have you noticed these recalls happen only to food you really don't want to eat anyway? Why don't we have a chocolate or ice cream recall for just a little while, long enough to give certain persons time to lose a few pounds?

Instead, it's spinach, canned meat, and green beans. Let's just say I'm not having to check my food stash.

U.S. issues new botulism warning for green beans

Consumers should not eat certain brands of French-cut green beans because of concerns they could be tainted with the toxin that causes botulism, U.S. health officials warned on Friday.

The green beans were manufactured by Lakeside Foods Inc. of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and packaged in 14.5-ounce cans, the Food and Drug Administration said.

The FDA said the beans may not have been processed adequately to eliminate the potential for botulinum toxin, which can cause a life-threatening illness...

Lakeside Foods said on Wednesday it was voluntarily recalling 15,000 cases of green beans because of the botulism concern. No botulinum toxin has been found in any cans that were tested, David Aggen, Lakeside's vice president of quality assurance and product safety, said in an interview on Friday...

The FDA said the affected Lakeside French-cut green beans are sold nationwide under the brands Albertson's, Happy Harvest, Best Choice, Food Club, Bogopa, Valu Time, Hill Country Fare, HEB, Laura Lynn, Kroger, No Name, North Pride, Shop N Save, Shoppers Valu, Schnucks, Cub Foods, Dierbergs, Flavorite, IGA, Best Choice and Thrifty Maid.

Fir further information and more details visit the FDA and Lakeside Foods.

Posted by Tammy · August 4, 2007 09:30 PM · Permalink · Comments (1)
Food/Drink | Health & Fitness | Recalls

Botulism Recall Issue Now Termed "Urgent" By FDA

We're now being told tens of millions of cans of canned meat, both human and dog products, may be infected with deadly botulism. After what were somewhat casual recall notices, the FDA has stepped their warnings, with the latest FDA announcement calling the issue an "urgent public health threat."

The original recall involving 10 canned meat products has increased to 80. And while the second announcement revealed four types of Natural Balance Dog Food being recalled. This latest notes dog food affected being sold under "a variety of brand names" yet the FDA list still only indicates the four Natural Balance products. Here we go again.

First, here is the fact sheet link to the FDA, including the new expanded list of products affected.

FDA says food recall is urgent health threat

A recall of canned meat products and dog food made at a Georgia plant due to botulism fears could involve tens of millions of cans that pose an urgent public health threat, U.S. officials said on Monday.

U.S. food regulators appealed to consumers and retailers to find and dispose of the cans..."This is a very big recall," David Elder of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's office of regulatory affairs told reporters, deeming it an "urgent public health matter."

The recall by Castleberry's originally affected 10 products. The expanded move involves more than 80 types of stew, chili, hash and other products as well as pet food sold under a variety of brand names.

And here is the list of the Natural Balance Eatables dog food varieties being recalled:

Irish Stew with Beef Dog Food
15 OZ / 23633-59860

Chinese Take Out with Sauce with Vegetables and Chicken Dog Food
15 OZ / 23633-59861

Southern Style Dumplings with Gravy with Chicken and Vegetables Dog Food
15 OZ / 23633-59862

Hobo Chili with Chicken Pasta Dog Food
15 OZ / 23633-59863

Posted by Tammy · July 23, 2007 11:42 PM · Permalink · Comments (4)
Food/Drink | Health & Fitness | Recalls

Canned Meat Botulism Recall Expanded to Dog Food

Oh, for Christ's sake. On the 19th, I posted about a human food/canned meat recall because of botulism. Well, we're now being told to ignore the production date limitations and reject all the products regardless of date, and it involves dog food as well. Irish Beef Stew to be exact.

Also, Itchmo is reporting Natural Balance is recalling product again, due to the botulism recall. Now we have to wonder 9and find out), as with Menu Foods, who else is serviced by Bumble Bee/Castleberry?

Natural Balance has announced that it is recalling it’s Natural Balance Eatables for Dogs due to a supplier’s recall. The affected formulas include 15oz cans of: Irish Stew, Hobo Chili, Chinese Take-Out and Southern Style Dumplin’s with Gravy. The supplier, Castleberry Foods, found one instance of botulism in improperly sealed cans of human food.

Canned meat recall is expanded

Federal regulators, citing an unusually high risk of potentially fatal botulism contamination, are warning consumers about certain canned human food and dog food. A Georgia company is recalling more than 720,000 pounds of products.

The products, by Bumble Bee Foods, LLC's Castleberry's Food Co. in Augusta, Ga., include Hot Dog Chili Sauce for humans and Irish Stew with Beef for dogs. David Acheson, assistant commissioner for food protection at the Food and Drug Administration said these products were likely undercooked, causing spores of botulism to survive and produce the toxin that can cause deaths...

"We believe we have isolated the issue to a situation of under-processing on one line of our production facility," Steve Mavity, a vice president at Castleberry's, in a statement. He added that the company has shut down the line and is recalling all products produced on it.

The recall came as the Bush Administration is already under fire over the seemingly endless string of food scares involving both domestic and imported food. Last week, congressional investigators told the House Energy and Commerce Committee that the FDA has only very limited ability to inspect and protect the nation's food supply.

That 'limited ability' is due in great part to Bush slashing the funding for a variety of agencies, including the FDA in order to fund for five minutes the insane prescription drug coverage program, and the war front in Iraq. Which, if implemented properly btw, should have lasted two years, to say nothing of the fact that we should be reimbursed by Iraq for the liberation of their nation.

Posted by Tammy · July 22, 2007 10:43 AM · Permalink · Comments (6)
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