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Mar

24

Organic Candy This Easter: Natural Candy Store

Filed Under Food Safety, Product Recalls | Comments Off

easterHere comes Peter Cotton Tail…hopping down the organic bunny trail… Easter is on it’s way!  We have a couple weeks and I know I’m not the only one who’s been oogling the Easter candy selection at the grocery store.  I started to think about what is going into my kids Easter basket this year.  I’m lucky that so far my 3 year old doesn’t really care too much about candy, with the exception of the occasional Yummy Earth lollipop (I keep a stash in my bag for trips to the bank so I don’t have to succumb to the day-glow blue lollipops they hand out).

But this year I’ll be putting a few choice candy items in there along with the art supplies and matchbox cars.  I started to look online for organic jelly beans and hit the mother load in a website called Natural Candy Store.  They provide a wide variety of natural candy that ranges from organic to vegan to allergen free, which they’ve created a symbol system and a great way to sort through with their navigation.

I stocked up a couple of organic chocolate bunnies and organic jelly beans (ok ok so this is more for ME than him but I want organic candy too!)  They also have ready-made baskets for Easter too.  Score!

Gimme Some Candy: NaturalCandyStore.com

Mar

22

Industry Poises to Ban Drop-Side Cribs

Filed Under Product Recalls, Product Safety | Comments Off

I’m a tad late in typing this up, thanks to a sick 3 year old – but I wanted to quickly highlight this.  The Consumer Reports blog reported about it, and I also stumbled on it over at Polliwogged and DaddyTypes (2 great GREAT blogs to be reading by the way) so you can get your fill of information.

But basically, here’s the deal.  Since the beginning of 2007, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced 19 crib recalls totaling nearly 4.3 million full-size cribs.  Faulty hardware has contributed  to the deaths of children who became entrapped and/or strangled in the gaps created due to the hardware failure. Almost 75% of the recalled cribs were due to failures of the crib drop-side hardware. (Source: ConsumerReports)

This move will likely take months and stricter rules regarding drop-side cribs (or the elimination of them all together) will be put in place.  When this ban takes place it will mean:

  • Existing drop-side cribs will no longer be sold (new OR used)
  • New cribs will be required to have 4 sides (or a fold down side rather than drop side for shorter people)

From what I can tell, existing drop-side cribs won’t be recalled (we’ll have to wait and see on that one) but you won’t be able to sell them to second hand shops and/or you’ll be stuck with a crib that doesn’t meet the most current safety standards. Of course this still needs to go through a few months of ironing so I’ll post the “in plain English” versions as they become available.

Please read the articles at Polliwogged, DaddyTypes and Z Recommends (for a much more nitty gritty look at the cuurent proposaed ban)

Jan

18

FDA Warns Against Salmonella Outbreak in Peanut Butter Products

Filed Under Food Safety, Product Recalls | Comments Off

soft_batch-home-pbpouch(Updated 1-20-09) Just a heads up to our fellow SafeParents regarding the recent slew of recalls and announcements regarding a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak in the U.S.  Some of you may have heard it already but this was relatively new news to me so I thought I’d share just in case.

Sample results from a plant owned by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) located in Georgia have been targeted as one source of the contamination.  The plant manufactures peanut butter and peanut paste, a concentrated product consisting of ground, roasted peanuts.. many of which are sold to other companies for use as ingredients in other products.  The products they think are affected were manufactured after July 1, 2008.

“Because identification of products subject to recall is continuing, the FDA urges consumers to postpone eating commercially-prepared or manufactured peanut butter-containing products and institutionally-served peanut butter until further information becomes available about which products may be affected. Efforts to specifically identify those products are ongoing.”

So far the list of companies recalling their peanut butter products are:

  • King Nut Companies
  • Hy-Vee Inc. : 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.
  • Kellogg Company: Including some Austin® Quality Foods,  Keebler®and Famous Amos®
  • Perry’s Ice Cream Company: Includes some Wegmans
  • McKee Foods Corporation: (Little Debbie)
  • Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products, Inc (Walmart Brands)
  • The South Bend Chocolate Company
  • Cliff Bar
  • Abbott Nutrition includeing ZonePerfect and Nutirpals
  • Kroger Ice Cream

To keep watch on the list of companies and products recalled in this case visit the FDA Website for updated information.

Jan

14

Crib Recalls – What To Do?

Filed Under Product Recalls, Safe Mama Tips | Comments Off

I was just interviewed by the Palm Beach Post regarding the latest slew of crib recalls announced by Jardine.  Since then over 500,000 cribs have been recalled by Stork Craft as well, urging parents to stop using the crib immediately.  In the case of the Jardine cribs,  instances of  crib slats were breaking creating a large gap which could pose strangulation hazards.  If your crib is part of a recall, what do you do and how do you find out?

  • Always keep track of recalls on the CPSC Website… they have an Email Announcement newsletter notification feature that emails you recall information, they have an RSS feed you can subscribe to or you can visit their website to see the latest information.  Keeping ahead of these announcements will ensure you get the replacement parts, or in some cases replacement crib vouchers as soon as possible.
  • Call the manufacturer immediately to get your crib situation resolved.  Check the CPSC recall announcement or the crib company website for proper actions to take and what phone numbers to call.
  • In the meantime, if your crib has been recalled and the company advises you stop using the crib immediately, make SAFE arrangements for baby’s sleeping alternative.  Use a pack n’ play or a bassinet (if the baby is the appropriate size for it).  Do not “make” a bed or use your bed as a substitute.  Suffocation, strangulation and death can occur if proper cautions are not taken.
  • With any sleeping arrangement, keep cribs or pack n plays clear of stuffed animals, blankets, pillows or anything that could get near the baby and cause suffocation.  Make sure sheets are properly fitted, not lose, and snug on the bottom pack n’ play pad or bassinet mattress.
  • Keep pack n plays and bassinets away from windows, curtains, window blind cords or other hanging items.
  • Make sure babies or toddlers can’t climb out of pack n’ plays causing a fall injury.  The room they’re in should be properly babyproofed or they are located somewhere you can keep a close eye on them while sleeping.

Baby’s safety is the top priority … be sure to keep yourself informed as much as possible.  But it’s also important not to beat yourself up either.  Do the best you can with the resources we have.

Other good reading:

Feb

16

Over 1 Million Discovery Car Seats Recalled

Filed Under Product Recalls | Comments Off

As I mentioned in my previous post, here’s some more information I ran across in my surfing. No leeching chemicals, but it’s important nonetheless. Always register your car seat so you can receive important product recall information.

Evenflo announced a voluntary safety recall of the Discovery Infant Car Seat models 390, 391, 534,and 552. The seats have been produced since April 2005 and total over 1 million units. The recall results from tests performed by Evenflo in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The car seat could become separated from its base in high impact side collisions. Evenflow is providing seat owners with a free supplemental dual-hook fastener that keeps the seat better attached to the base. If you own one of these models, call Evenflo at 800-356-2229 or visit www.evenflo.com/Discovery.

For more information, see Evenflo’s press release about the recall.

Jan

23

Thomas the Train Paying $30 Million for Lead

Filed Under Articles, Product Recalls, Toy Safety | 2 Comments

The popular toymaker responsible for the lovable Thomas the Train wooden toy line is settling the class action lawsuit over the lead paint recall fiasco last year at the bargain price of $30 Million plus a nice little $2.9 Million in legal fees.

RC2’s (RCRC) proposed settlement received preliminary approval in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Ill., Tuesday. It calls for reimbursements for hundreds of thousands of consumers and improved product safety, which RC2 says it has implemented.

Consumers would be reimbursed in cash for recalled toys or offered a replacement plus a bonus toy if they prefer. Customers who lack toys and proof of purchase can get $15 coupons.

Source: USA Today

Dec

19

More Toy Recalls Keep Parents on their Toes

Filed Under Product Recalls, Toy Safety | Comments Off

Just when we thought we could relax a tiny bit… more toy recalls. If there is a lesson in all these toy recalls this year, it’s that as parents, we need to make sure we are as informed as possible and we stay on top of the most recent information. We thought we’d be safe with purchasing wood toy alternatives then a new slew of recalls include wood blocks and wood toys that violate lead paint standards.

The Soldier Bear company recalled a handful of their wood toys including a wood pull a long wagon filled with blocks, a wood clock and wooden ride on horse for toddlers all found with excess levels of lead in their surface paint. The toys were manufactured in China which to some is not a huge surprise. Keep up with the CPSC recalls by checking their website or subscribing to their rss feed to be updated on the most recent recalls.

Nov

22

Velvet Boppy Pillow Slipcovers Recalled

Filed Under Product Recalls | 1 Comment

Boppy Slipcover RecallI have already decided that I do not want or need to post every time a recall comes about. The feeds pull in from the left side and parents can subscribe or read them there. Posting about them would be overkill. But I wanted to draw attention to the Boppy Slipcover recall because many of my mom friends with babies have this and I have seen the velvet slipcover quite a few times. Read the recall info here and check the Boppy website for more details. The covers have been recalled for choking hazards and risk of lead exposure.

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