California produce grower Metz Fresh recalled fresh spinach yesterday after a sample tested positive for salmonella, reviving the food safety concerns from last year, when E. coli-tainted spinach killed three people and sickened over 200.

Food safety keeps making the headlines. Earlier this year, a widespread outbreak of salmonella from peanut butter made more than 600 people sick. Pet food products imported from China were linked to the death of animals.

Who or what’s to blame for the rash of tainted foods? Will you think twice about grabbing a salad for lunch or feeding your children raw vegetables? Have your say… http://tinyurl.com/27rucw

Outsourcing Complicates Food Recalls
Try searching for a culprit in the 90 brands caught up in the recent recall of canned chili, stew and other products, and you weave back to a single manufacturer.
That also was the case in recalls of spinach, pet food and frozen meat.
For some specialty products that require expensive machinery — like pet food — a limited number of contract manufacturers, such as Menu Foods, make products that are sold under dozens of brands.
http://tinyurl.com/2g9mef

Abbott's Meat Inc. Recalls 26,000 Pounds of Beef
Abbott's Meat Inc., a Flint, Michigan-based company, has issued a recall after a routine inspection by the U.S. Department of Agriculture uncovered possible E. Coli bacteria contamination in some of the meat products. Edward Abbott, head of the company, has said that most of the meat in question has not left the warehouse.
Category: Food Poisoning
The company has voluntarily sent out trucks to pick up the questionable meat from restaurants and hotels that purchase products from Abbott's.
No illnesses have been reported in relation to this incident.
http://tinyurl.com/2bpjnu

Castleberry Food Products Contain Botulinum Toxin

Category: Food Poisoning

The FDA has expanded the original warning it issued regarding food produced by Castleberry's Food Company. The FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture inspected the company's facility in Georgia before expanding its recall warning. Consumers are now being warned that Castleberry's products may contain botulinum toxin. The FDA's new warning is for consumers who have purchased certain types of Castleberry's canned food or dog food products. Castleberry has expanded the recall to all canned food and pet food it produces, not just the specific types recalled by the FDA.

Botulinum Toxin can be fatal and exposure to the toxin in Castleberry's products has already caused two people to become seriously ill. The company has ceased distribution of the products in question and has also decided to recall its other products containing meat, due to a warning from the USDA.

Consumers who have purchased any of the products in question should carefully dispose of them. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has provided instructions on how to correctly dispose of the contaminated products. Stores that sell Castleberry products should also dispose of all items that have been recalled.

Symptoms of botulism poisoning in humans can occur anywhere from 6 hours to 2 weeks after ingesting the contaminated food. Symptoms may include double or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and muscle weakness.

The pet food produced by Castleberry's that is being recalled has not caused any known illnesses in animals, but it is still recommended to dispose of these products.

Consumers that have questions regarding the contaminated products can call Castleberry's hotline at 1-800-203-4412 or the FDA at 1-888-SAFEFOOD.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products. http://tinyurl.com/26cq5r

Made in China flip flops from Walmart, chemical burns.
more info: http://preview.tinyurl.com/37w9yz

More on flip flops http://www.lamanaphotography.com/walmart3.htm

Johnson & Johnson follows trail of counterfeits to China
Customer complaints about at-home diabetes test kits led to the arrest of a Shanghai distributor of about 1 million phony test strips.
http://tinyurl.com/ytlqxy

Recall: Transport Canada says 3 car seats unsafe http://tinyurl.com/38fzv3

Boycott Made in China
http://www.boycottmadeinchina.org/

Bags of Fresh Spinach Recalled

By Becky Ogann

CEDAR RAPIDS - There's been another spinach recall. California-based Metz Fresh is recalling bags of fresh spinach after tests showed the vegetable had traces of salmonella.

So far, there have been no reports of illnesses.

The recalled spinach was sold in 10 and 16 ounce bags and 2.5 lb. and 4 lb. cartons in the U.S. and Canada.

If you bought Metz Fresh spinach simply throw it out or return it to the store for a refund. http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/9471587.html

Local Stores Still Selling Potentially Fatal Foods
August 30, 2007
HOUSTON -- Note: The following story is a verbatim transcript of an Investigators story that aired on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007, on KPRC Local 2 at 10 p.m.

Tonight, Local 2 investigates some of the products you eat.
For more than a month we've been hearing dire warnings about certain canned foods and brands of toothpaste from China. All of these products are supposed to be off of store shelves and far away from you and your family.

But when Local 2 investigative reporter Robert Arnold went shopping, he found several places still selling these potentially deadly products.
We visited store after store -- finding cans of recalled food and banned toothpaste still being sold in Houston discount stores.
"Do you realize this product has been recalled because of the potential for botulism poisoning?" Arnold said.
In July, the Castleberry company recalled dozens of brands of canned food because of the potential for botulism.
"When you go to the store and buy something to cook at home and you get sick from it, it's like, 'God, you can't even eat at home,'" resident Ken Greer said.
Ken Greer is an unlucky and lucky man. Unlucky in that he bought cans of Castleberry's hot dog chili sauce just days before the recall was announced.
"When I got to the doctor I just ached all over," Greer said.
Lucky in that he was able to recover, but is still taking antibiotics.
"I'm a pretty big person and what if a little 4-, 5-, 6-year old eats it and has a worse reaction?" Greer said.
"Eight percent of botulism cases result in death," attorney Terry Bryant said.
Terry Bryant is Greer's attorney. They contacted Local 2 Investigates after seeing cans of the potentially toxic food still on store shelves more than a month after a recall was announced.
"None of these retailers know who've they've sold it to," Bryant said.
"I just purchased these in here from you. They're both recalled," Arnold said.
Every one of the store managers we spoke with told us they've never heard of a recall.
"You've never gotten any word of a recall at all? Do you realize this has the potential to poison people with botulism?" Arnold said.
"I had no idea, sir," a manager said.
"Here's the weak link in the chain. Many small independent stores do their own shopping either at discount grocery stores or small, low-level wholesalers. Then the products sit on the shelves for weeks or even months. And while major grocery chains, vendors and wholesalers get the word of a recall, little mom and pop stores don't," Arnold reported.
But what about the Food and Drug Administration? While the agency does spot checks, it doesn't have the manpower to check every store. That's why it relies on consumer complaints. And even then the agency doesn't always react.
Last May, the FDA began warning people about toothpaste from China containing a potentially deadly chemical. Nearly a month after that warning, we found the toothpaste still being sold at this dollar store on the Northwest Freeway. We immediately reported it to the FDA. But when we went back to the same store a month later, we found nearly 30 tubes still on the shelves.
No one from the agency checked on our tip, even though the FDA's Houston offices are less than eight miles from this store.
It wasn't until we contacted King Dollar's corporate offices that the product was pulled. Officials told us they don't know why that particular store didn't get the word when all the others did.
And we got the same response from all the stores still selling the recalled canned foods. During each of our visits, managers pulled the cans from the shelves and threw them all away.
Because of spotty enforcement by the FDA, it's up to you to know what you're eating. When it comes to the recalled canned foods, everything you need to know is right here.
It's called a universal price code.
We've put links below to a list of all the recalled canned foods and toothpaste from China.
More: http://www.click2houston.com/investigates/14014796/detail.html

RC2 Corp. Recalls Various Thomas & Friends™ Wooden Railway Toys Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard
Importer/Distributor: RC2 Corp., of Oak Brook, Ill.
Surface paints on the recalled products contain lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.
See List: http://tinyurl.com/2ew9j2

Red Alert! Boycott Made In China

Castleberry Food Products Contain Botulinum Toxin

Recall: Transport Canada says 3 car seats unsafe http://tinyurl.com/38fzv3

Bags of Fresh Spinach Recalled

By Becky Ogann

Red Alert! Boycott Made In China