Recalls in September 2008

"All Hershey products use the highest-quality ingredients and are completely safe," the candy giant said in a written statement. "This includes Cadbury products manufactured and distributed in the United States by The Hershey Company."

The announcement follows Monday's recall of 11-types of Cadbury chocolates made in China. The British-based candy company took that action after the products tested positive for melamine.

"The products that are affected by this withdrawal include a range of Cadbury chocolate products and Choclairs, all produced in our Beijing plant," Cadbury said in a statement obtained by CNN.

The company said the products were exported to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia, the Pacific island of Nauru and Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.

Monday's recall is the latest action in China's every growing melamine-tainted milk scandal, which is blamed for the recent deaths of four infants in that country and the illnesses of 53,000 other children. Authorities say some Chinese dairy plants may have added melamine to milk products to make them appear to have higher protein levels.

Earlier this month, Chinese officials discovered melamine in powdered infant formula made in that country. It has since been found in dozens of other products.

Melamine is a chemical used to make plastic and fertilizers. It is blamed for the illnesses and deaths of thousands of dogs and cats in the United States last year. Doctors say melamine can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure.

Consumers and animals around the world have felt the ripple effects from China's melamine-tainted milk scandal, and the problems continue to spread.

The Taiwanese company that makes Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea has recalled seven of its products because of possible melamine contamination. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now warning consumers not to drink those products.

Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority has recalled Chinese-made White Rabbit Creamy Candies after the products tested positive for melamine. It also said other Chinese-made food had tested positive for melamine, including Dutch Lady-brand banana and honeydew flavored milk, Silang-brand potato crackers, and two kinds of puffed rice balls.

The FDA is now inspecting White Rabbit candy at ports of entry. No melamine-tainted goods from China have turned up, FDA officials said.

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority found high levels of melamine in Chinese-made White Rabbit Creamy Candies.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning consumers not to eat, distribute, or sell White Rabbit candy because of possible melamine contamination;

Two gorillas in China that drank the melamine-tainted milk powder have signs of kidney stones. Doctors at Hangzhou Wildlife World say the gorillas--ages one and three--have been diagnosed with crystallization in their urine. "The crystallization now is very small, but it will grow bigger and then block the urine," Zhang Xu, a doctor from the animal hospital where the two gorillas were being treated, was quoted as saying. "No visible stones have been found so far."

The FDA said it is not aware of any illnesses in the United States linked to the Chinese-made milk products.

It also assured consumers the infant formula in the United States is safe. U.S. companies that make infant formula are not importing formula or sourcing milk-based materials from China, the agency said.

FDA officials, however, warn that some Chinese-made infant formula could be on store shelves in Asian markets across the country. FDA investigators have inspected more than 1,400 of those stores, but have not found any suspect formula.

The FDA said it will continue to take proactive measures to ensure the safety of America's food supply. The agency is now testing a variety of products that could contain milk-derived ingredients from China. Those products include candies, desserts, and beverages.

Chinese officials are also cracking down on this problem.

Police in that country have arrested 40 people in connection with this scandal. On Monday, police napped 22 people in northern China's Hebei province, according to CNN. Nineteen of those people were managers of pastures, breeding farms and milk-purchasing stations, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Chinese police also raided 41 locations in Hebei and seized 490 pounds of melamine.

Meanwhile, Cadbury has recalled the following products because of possible melamine contamination:

• Cadbury Dark Chocette, 45 grams;

• Cadbury Dark Chocette, 80 grams;

• Cadbury Eclairs, 180 grams;

• Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Pumpkin, 150 grams;

• Cadbury Dark Chocolate, 40 grams;

• Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Bulk Pack, 5 kilograms;

• Cadbury Dark Chocolate Bulk Pack, 5 kilograms;

• Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate Bulk Pack, 5 kilograms;

• Cadbury Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolate Bulk Pack, 5 kilograms;

• Cadbury Hazelnut Praline Chocolate (2008 Chinese New Year), 312 grams;

• Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate (2008 Chinese New Year), 300 grams.

The company said it is now implementing new food safety and quality checks at its Beijing plant.

In related news, these are the Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products recalled last week:

• Mr. Brown Mandheling Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1);

• Mr. Brown Arabica Instant Coffee (3-in-1);

• Mr. Brown Blue Mountain Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1);

• Mr. Brown Caramel Macchiato Instant Coffee (3-in-1);

• Mr. Brown French Vanilla Instant Coffee (3-in-1);

• Mr. Brown Mandhling Blend instant Coffee (2-in-1);

• Mr. Brown Milk Tea (3-in-1)

China's melamine-tainted milk scandal — blamed for at least four deaths — has now spread to instant coffee and milk tea products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today warned consumers not to drink the Taiwanese-made Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products because of possible melamine contamination.

Melamine is a chemical used to make plastic and fertilizer. It is blamed for the illnesses and deaths of thousands of pets in the United States last year. Doctors say melamine can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure.

The Taiwanese company that makes the instant coffee and milk tea — King Car Food Industrial Co. Ltd — has recalled the following products:

• Mr. Brown Mandheling Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
• Mr. Brown Arabica Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
• Mr. Brown Blue Mountain Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
• Mr. Brown Caramel Macchiato Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
• Mr. Brown French Vanilla Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
• Mr. Brown Mandhling Blend instant Coffee (2-in-1)
• Mr. Brown Milk Tea (3-in-1)

The FDA asked retailers and food service operators to remove the products from sale or service.

FDA officials continue testing milk-based products imported from China and have not found any melamine contamination.

Other countries, however, have found melamine in food products from that country.

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority said it found high levels of that chemical in the Chinese-made White Rabbit Creamy Candies.

And the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is now warning consumers not to eat, distribute, or sell that brand of candy because of possible melamine contamination.

Earlier this week, Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority recalled those candies after the products tested positive for melamine. It also said other Chinese-made food had tested positive for melamine, including Dutch Lady-brand banana and honeydew flavored milk, Silang-brand potato crackers, and two kinds of puffed rice balls.

The FDA has added White Rabbit candy to its list of products being inspected at ports of entry.But no melamine-tainted goods from China have turned up.

Gorillas

In related news this week, two gorillas in China that drank melamine-tainted milk powder now have signs of kidney stones. Doctors at Hangzhou Wildlife World say the gorillas—ages one and three—have been diagnosed with crystallization in their urine.

"The crystallization now is very small, but it will grow bigger and then block the urine," Zhang Xu, a doctor from the animal hospital where the two gorillas were being treated, was quoted as saying.

"No visible stones have been found so far," he added.

Meanwhile, the FDA said it is not aware of any illnesses in the United States linked to White Rabbit Creamy Candy or the Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products.

The melamine-tainted milk scandal surfaced earlier this month when Chinese officials said infant formula made in that country — by a company called Sanlu Group — was contaminated with melamine.

That tainted formula is now blamed for the deaths of four babies in China and the illnesses in 53,000 others in that country.

But FDA officials say the infant formula in the United States is safe. U.S. companies that make infant formula are not importing formula or sourcing milk-based materials from China, the agency said.

FDA officials, however, warn that some Chinese-made infant formula could be on store shelves in Asian markets across the country. FDA investigators have inspected more than 1,400 of those stores and have not found any suspect formula.

The FDA said it will continue to take proactive measures to ensure the safety of America's food supply. It is now working with state and local officials, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, other federal agencies, and foreign governments, in those efforts.

Meanwhile, FDA officials continue testing a wide variety of products that could contain milk-derived ingredients from China. Those products include candies, desserts, and beverages.

September 25, 2008
Razor USA is recalling about 30,000 Dirt Quad Electric Powered Ride-On Vehicles. The control module for the throttle can fail and cause the electric ride-on vehicle to unexpectedly surge forward, posing a risk of injury to the user or a bystander.

Razor has received 60 reports of the vehicles unexpectedly surging forward, including two reports of injuries.

This recall involves Razor Dirt Quad electrically powered ride-on vehicles. Product ID numbers included in the recall begin with 103110-01 or 103110-02. The product ID numbers are located on the bar code affixed to the right step of the vehicle, on the charger and on the retail packaging. Product ID numbers beginning with 103110-03 or later are not included in this recall.

The vehicles, made in China, were sold by authorized dealers nationwide from August 2006 through September 2007 for about $400.

Consumers should immediately stop using the product and contact Razor for a free replacement controller.

For additional information, contact Razor USA at (800) 813-3155 anytime, or visit the firm's Web site at www.razor.com/recall.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Pottery Barn Kids is recalling about 20,000 children's metal water bottles. The sip top on the water bottles can pull off, posing a choking hazard to young children.

The metal water bottles are about 9 inches tall and have a black rubber pull up sip top. The following water bottles are included in this recall. The style number and Pottery Barn Kids are printed on a white sticker on the bottom of the water bottle.

The bottles, made in Taiwan, were sold at Pottery Barn Kids stores nationwide, Pottery Barn Kids catalog, and online at www.potterybarnkids.com from January 2007 through August 2008 for about $10.

Consumers should take the recalled water bottles away from children immediately and return them to any Pottery Barn Kids store for a full refund. If purchased through the catalog or online, contact Pottery Barn Kids to receive a full refund.

For additional information, contact Pottery Barn Kids toll-free at (877) 800-9720 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or visit the firms Web site at www.potterybarnkids.com

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

With the Salmonella-St. Paul outbreak finally contained, the Food and Drug Administration reports 13 cases of Salmonella Typhimirium in Oregon and Washington State. The outbreak is apparently linked with the consumption of raw alfalfa sprouts.

Sprouters Northwest, Inc. of Kent, Washington is recalling its alfalfa sprout products - including alfalfa sprouts, onion sprouts, and salad sprouts - because they may be linked to the recent outbreak.

Salmonella Typhimiriumis an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which maybe bloody), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e. infected aneurysms), endocarditis - swelling of the lining of the heart - and arthritis. Individuals who may have experienced any of the above symptoms after eating any of the recalled products should contact their health care provider.

The recalled sprouts were distributed in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska in retail stores and through wholesale produce suppliers. The products are Sprouters Northwest brand and include all lot numbers with a best by date of 9/17/08 or earlier of:

• 5oz alfalfa sprout cups UPC - 033383701417

• 4oz alfalfa clamshells UPC - 815098001088

• 1lb bags of alfalfa sprouts UPC - 079566123508

• 2lb trays of alfalfa sprouts UPC - 079566123492

• 5oz salad cups UPC - 033383702674

• 4oz salad clamshells UPC - 815098002061

• 5oz alfalfa onion sprout cups UPC - 033383701905

• 4oz onion sprout clamshells UPC - 815098002054

Sprouters Northwest said it is working closely with state officials and the FDA to determine the cause of this problem and what steps can be taken to combat it.

The action by Four Paws manufacturing company of Hauppauge, New York, comes on the heels of a freak accident that led to the amputation of a dog's tongue.

The accident happened earlier this summer when a 10-year old Lab mix named Chai was playing with one of Four Paw's toys called the Pimple Ball with Bell. The ball suddenly became stuck on Chai's tongue, according to his owner Daniel R. of New York City.

"While chewing on the toy, a vacuum was created and it effectively sucked his tongue into the hole in the ball," he said. "From speaking with my vet, this likely occurred because there is not a second hole in the ball preventing the vacuum effect from happening."

A friend taking care of Chai tried to remove the ball, but couldn't because the dog's tongue immediately started to swell. Daniel's friend rushed Chai to an emergency animal clinic, where doctors removed the ball.

It wasn't a simple procedure.

Circulation cut off

"Because the size of the opening on the ball was so small, all circulation to his tongue was cut off," Daniel said. "The doctors had to sedate him in order to remove it."

Chai's problems, however, were far from over.

"Once the ball was removed, his tongue swelled to the point that he could no longer put it in his mouth," Daniel said.

Doctors tried for three days to save the dog's tongue, but their efforts failed. On June 28, veterinarians amputated Chai's tongue.

After the surgery, Daniel said, Chai was on a feeding tube for several days and in excruciating pain. He has since had to relearn how to eat, drink and "adjust to life without a tongue."

"For the first week he was home, he couldn't be left unattended for more than 20 minutes at a time," Daniel said, adding Chai is now on a special diet that costs $200 a month. "I still have to feed him by hand and that takes about 90 minutes. But he is drinking on his ownso he is making progress."

Daniel is also making progress on another front. He wants to warn other pet owners about this problem and make sure this doesn't happen to another dog.

Daniel recently posted a blog about Chai's accident and his story has spread across the Internet.

He also contacted Four Paws and the local pet store where he purchased the ball. The pet store, he said, immediately removed the balls from its shelves.

Company ignored calls

But Four Paws initially ignored his calls.

"It was only when a friend in high places made contact on my behalf that I finally did get a response," he said.

The company turned his case over to its insurance company, which wanted to immediately settle.

"The company kept saying this was the first incident like this," said Daniel, who has $5,000 in veterinary bills. "I said I want you to make changes to the ball (add a second hole) and pay a portion of my bills. My objective was to change the design of the ball. "

Daniel said he almost took the company's offer. But that changed when he learned another dog — a five-year-old Lab mix named Cole — had the same type of accident while playing with one of Four Paw's pimple balls.

A second case

That accident happened back in 2005 — and the dog's owner notified Four Paws about problems with the ball. Daniel is angry that Four Paws did not disclose this information or change the ball's design when it first learned about this safety problem.

"When I heard about that dog, I was pretty frustrated," he said. "The response I kept getting from the company was mine was an isolated case. They said it had never happened before."

Cole's owner is stunned and saddened that another dog has suffered this type of injury.

"When heard about this, I was shocked," Zoa K. of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, told ConsumerAffairs.com. "I felt so bad. I thought I had assurances from the company that they were going to change the design of the ball (and add a second hole.)."

Zoa said there are striking similarities between the dogs' accidents.

"We were coming back from vacation in July of 2005 and Cole met us at the door with a ball in his mouth. We soon noticed that he wasn't dropping the ball — it was stuck on his tongue."

Zoa talked to her pet sitter and learned that Cole had eaten about an hour earlier.

"So we figured the ball couldn't have been on his tongue longer than that," she said. "We tried to take it off ourselves, but he was already panicking. He was slobbering and was anxious. We could only get off some little pieces and he was getting more panicky. I was also worried about cutting his tongue."

Zoa rushed Cole to the emergency vet clinic.

"They sedated him and cut off the ball," she said. "When he woke up, his tongue was swollen up behind his teeth. It looked like a saucer under a coffee cup."

She added: "What was unfortunate for him is that when he woke up he didn't know what this thing was in his mouth. He didn't know it was his tongue and he bit down on it right after anesthesia. He panicked and couldn't figure out what was going on."

Cole stayed in the hospital for two days until the swelling in his tongue went down.

"We then took him to our regular vet, who said he wanted to wait and see if his tongue would heel. He didn't want to do the amputation right away."

After ten days, though, Cole's condition deteriorated.

"The front part of his tongue was damaged," Zoa said. "It had started to separate from the rest of his tongue."

A grim prognosis

Zoa immediately took Cole back to the vet. The prognosis was grim.

"They said we could take him to the University of Pennsylvania that night for surgery — and he might survive that surgery. But if he did, he would be on a feeding tube and have to learn how to re-use his tongue.

"Cole was an energetic dog," Zoa said. "I couldn't picture him being sedated with a feeding tube — and in a kennel and being quiet — for a month. Plus, they kept saying there were no guarantees the surgery would work. At that time, they hadn't done that many tongue amputations. There were also concerns about whether Cole could even survive the trip to Philadelphia. He was bleeding profusely."

Zoa said she and her family made the difficult decision to euthanize Cole.

"My Coley boy died as a result of his injuries," she said. "He was a five-year-old bouncy beautiful lab mix that wagged his tail up till the very end when we let him cross the rainbow bridge due to the horrendous injury to his tongue."

Zoa later contacted Four Paws about Cole's accident.

"I wrote them a nice letter and said this was a freak accident that had to do with the design of your ball. It wasn't the way he was playing with it."

Four Paws, she said, didn't respond to her letter. She contacted them again — after finding the ball in a pet store and seeing it still only had one hole.

"By then, I was angry. They had not looked at the problems with the ball. I then sent them a certified letter. That was in January, 2006."

The company still didn't respond.

"That's when I called them," Zoa said. "I think I talked to three or four people. The last person I talked to was Barry Askin (executive vice-president) and he said he would look at the design of the ball and change it. I said I'm glad you're making those changes and will look forward to seeing how you accomplish that."

At that point, Zoa said, she thought the matter was resolved.

"Now that this has resurfaced, I feel so bad that I let it go," she said. "And I'm disappointed that Four Paws didn't deal with this issue three years ago. It's a simple fix."

Company tried to fix problem

ConsumerAffairs.com contacted Four Paws, which said it changed the ball's design after Cole's accident. The company also thought the problem was fixed.

"When Zoa contacted us, we made an attempt to fix the ball," Askin told us. "We asked the manufacturer to make sure the second hole in the ball was open. We also made the larger hole one-third smaller and thought that would alleviate the problem.

"We're not trying to minimize this issue. I've looked at those pictures (of Chai) numerous times and I feel terrible. But I thought we had corrected this problem. We've had no issues like this in three years."

Since learning about Chai's accident, Askin said the company has posted a warning on its Web site about this safety problem.

It is also pulling its entire line of pimple balls — not just the ones involved in Chai's accident.

"What we're doing is recalling that product and any product we make with a hole in the bell," Askin said. "We're doing this to be on the safe side. We are 99 percent sure we can fix this problem. We're trying to redesign the ball, but if we can't do it so it totally avoids this type of problem, then we will discontinue this product."

Feds no help

Askin said he contacted the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the federal agency that regulates the safety of consumer goods, about the company's recall.

"I reached out to them for help, but they wouldn't talk to me. They said we do not regulate pet products. You are on your own."

Askin said his company is doing everything it can to warn pet owners about this problem and prevent it from happening again.

Specifically, he said, the company has:

• Posted a warning on its Web site;
• Stopped shipping the pimple balls to its distributors;
• Asked its distributors to contact retailers and pull the pimple balls from store shelves;
• Halted shipments of the pimple balls from the manufacturer in China;
• Sent e-mails to customers about the problem.

Askin said he is going to China next week to inspect the manufacturer's plant and ensure the problem is corrected.

"We're doing everything we feel is possible," he said. "If anyone has any other idea, I'd be glad to add them."

ConsumerAffairs.com told Askin about one online company selling the pimple balls. After our interview, he contacted that vendor and told them to stop selling the products.

"We know we can fix this problem," Askin said. "But our message to pet owners right now is to immediately take these balls away from their pets and return them to us for a full refund."

He added: "What concerns us as we go forward is that we are not the only company that makes balls like this for pets. Ours isn't the only one on the market. "

Pet owners, he said, need to inspect any "look-alike" balls for similar defects.

Back in New York, Daniel said he continues to hear from pet owners whose dogs have experienced similar problems with Four Paws pimple balls.

"We're now up to 13 dogs that have this happen to them," said Daniel, who is now suing the company. "Three of them, including my dog, have had their tongues amputated."

What's Daniel's response to Four Paw's recall effort?

"They're not recalling this product," he said. "All they're doing is posting something on their Web site and saying they're notifying their distribution chain. That's not going to bring all these balls back."

Daniel said the company needs to take more aggressive measures.

"This is an international problem. There are 500,000 of these balls on the market. I want the company to notify the public about this. I want to see this in the news."

His ultimate goal, however, is to prevent this from happening again.

"I want them to change the design. This is a design flawit's not a manufacturing defect. What I really want is to make this doesn't happen to another dog again."

More about pets ...

September 3, 2008
Target is recalling about 330,000 pairs of Circo Rosette bobbie socks. The ribbon on the sock can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

Target has received four reports of the ribbon detaching. No injuries have been reported.

The recall involves girls Circo bobbie socks. The socks were sold in packs of six (pink, purple, plain white and three pairs with a box), ranging in size from 6- to 12-months, 12- to 24-months and 2T to 5T. The socks are packaged in a green and white sleeve with a Circo-brand logo on the front.

The socks, made in Hong Kong, were sold at Target stores nationwide from January 2007 to July 2008 for about $6.

Consumers should take these socks away from children and return them to the nearest Target store to receive a full refund.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).