Consumer Protection

King Arthur Has Blue Balls (Flour Recalled)

Let the record show that we made it till Wednesday of this week before receiving word of yet another recall occasioned by the possible presence of foreign objects in your food. King Arthur Flour has issued a voluntary recall of certain bags of its flour because of the risk that the bags might conta ... More >>

Kellogg's Recalls Special K for Possible Glass Fragments

OK, seriously, this would be laughable if it didn't involve, you know, things like glass and wire in what we eat. Yes, yet another food is being recalled due to the possible presence of foreign objects. Kellogg's has announced a voluntary recall of its Special K Red Berries cereal due to the risk t ... More >>

Metal Mesh Is Not Organic: Annie's Recalls Frozen Pizzas

Is that a scowl on the face of the cute little Annie's bunny? Might be. The Berkeley, California-based company known for its organic mac & cheese, snacks and more has announced (via the FDA) a nationwide voluntary recall of its Annie's Homegrown Frozen Pizza because these pizzas might contain fragme ... More >>

Don't Play FreeBird! Frozen Chicken Nuggets, Patties Recalled

Finally, after almost six years of existence, Gut Check gets to make a "Free Bird" joke. Suzanna's Kitchen of Duluth, Georgia, has announced a precautionary recall, via the USDA, of certain packages of FreeBird-brand frozen chicken nuggets and patties because they might contain pieces of plastic. ... More >>

Carrots Recalled for Salmonella Risk

What's this? A recall for potential salmonella contamination that doesn't involve peanuts or peanut butter? Excuse us for a moment while we try to remember how to handle this.

Kraft Recalls Jalapeño String Cheese

What is the perfect food? A ripe, late-summer heirloom tomato? A heritage pork butt cooked low and slow over fragrant woodsmoke? Jalapeño-flavored Kraft String Cheese? OK, it's probably not jalapeño-flavored Kraft String Cheese -- not any longer, at least. Kraft on Monday announced a voluntary r ... More >>

Recalls: A Pen in the Sausage, Milk in the Sea Salt

Labor Day is in the rearview mirror, but the summer of strange recalls continues. On Thursday, August 31, Klement Sausage Company Inc. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, recalled 2,920 pounds of frozen bratwurst patties because they might contain...wait for it...pieces of a plastic pen. According to the USD ... More >>

Bagged "Hearts of Romaine" Salad Recalled

A busy summer for recalls continues. While the salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes has garnered the most attention for the number of reported cases (approaching 200 at last count), listeria has been the reason for numerous recalls over the past few months, including one announced just yesterda ... More >>

Red Vines Licorice Recalled for Lead

So far this week we've told you about one serious recall (salmonella-tainted cantaloupes) and one, er, interesting recall ("ribs" mistakenly packaged as Salisbury "steak"). Today (via Eater) comes word of a recall that probably shades a bit closer to the "serious" category and yet, involving as it ... More >>

Ben & Jerry's "Chocolate Nougat Crunch" Ice Cream Voluntarily Recalled

The important thing to do as you hear the news in this blog post is to remain calm. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes and picture puppies frolicking in a field. Take another deep breath. Do you practice yoga? Go over into the corner and assume whatever position puts you in touch with your inne ... More >>

Stouffer's Lasagna Italiano Accidently Packaged In Stuffed Pepper Container, Obviously Recalled

Voluntary food product recalls for mislabeled or missing allergens aren't the stuff of scandal, but when a company mass produces a product and labels it with a totally incorrect product name and it's missing allergen information, Gut Check's ears perk up. Yesterday, Nestlé Prepared Foods Company ... More >>

If Your Single-Serve Coffee Maker Isn't Trying to Burn You, It's Definitely Ripping You Off

The single-serve coffee maker: Incredible convenience, or threat to life, limb and pocketbook? If the news this week is any indication, the latter seems more likely than the former. First, the New York Times looked at how much you're actually paying when you buy those pods that these single-serve c ... More >>

Bloody Mary Mix, Ground Beef Recalled

​Gut Check might have spent the past few days curled up in front of the fireplace with a snifter of brandy and a year's worth of Jane's Defence Weekly, but the food-recall news didn't stop. In the past week, the FDA and the USDA have announced several voluntarily recalls. Only two, though, involve ... More >>

Unsanitary Packing Facility Led to Cantaloupe Listeria Outbreak. Bagged Salad Recalled.

Wikimedia CommonsCantaloupe listeria source found.​As the death toll from the Rocky Ford cantaloupe listeria outbreak rises to 25, the Food and Drug Administration has pinpointed the contamination's source. Government inspectors found listeria bacteria in standing water on the floor of Jense ... More >>

The Bangles

8 p.m. Saturday, October 8. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard.

Listeria-Contaminated Rocky Ford Cantaloupes Linked to Deaths [Updated]

Wikimedia CommonsListeria-tainted Rocky Ford cantaloupes have been linked to several deaths.​Update: (Thursday, September 15, 4:05 p.m.) A voluntary recall of Rocky Ford cantaloupes has been issued by Jensen Farms in Colorado because of a possible listeria contamination. The recall includes ca ... More >>

Cargill Recalls More Ground Turkey

Image via​Cargill has recalled ground turkey for potential salmonella contamination. This is the second such recall in recent weeks, both due to contamination at a Springfield, Arkansas, processing plant. In the first event, Cargill recalled 36 million pounds of ground turkey. This recall is much ... More >>

Claire McCaskill Asks FTC Chair to Watch for Gas Gouging

Claire McCaskill: Not too pumped about gas prices.​With Memorial Day around the corner and gas prices flirting with the $4-a-gallon mark, Sen. Claire McCaskill and three colleagues yesterday sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz, calling on him to investigate potenti ... More >>

Mountain Pure Bottled Water Recalled for Mold Contamination

arkansasnews.comMountain Pure water​ In Clinton, Arkansas? Don't drink the water! Not even the bottled stuff, because it's been recalled. Mountain Pure Water in Little Rock, Arkansas voluntarily recalled cases of 16.9-ounce bottles of water. The Arkansas Department of Health issued a statem ... More >>

Bad Nuts! Peanut Butter and Hazelnuts Recalled

Wikimedia Commons​ Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don't, because you're too busy suffering the effects of salmonella or E. coli. Unilever has issued a voluntary recall on Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread wit ... More >>

More Than 3,000 Pounds of Ground Beef Recalled

​The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued yet another ground-beef recall. This time it's American Food Service, headquartered in Pico Rivera, just outside of LA. According to a CNN report, the recall involves more than 3,000 pounds of ground beef produced on January 31 and sold to restaur ... More >>

Why Steve Jobs is One of the Most Powerful People in Food

Yesterday TheDailyMeal.com revealed its 50 most powerful people in food, and the Canadian Press asked, "Steve Jobs is number five? Huh." Of course, it's because of the changes food apps for iPhones and iPads have created. They further break down the list that includes chefs, bureaucrats, tech innova ... More >>

This Just In: Nuclear Sludge Unsafe to Eat!

​Yesterday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the voluntary recall of Candy Dynamics Toxic Waste brand Nuclear Sludge bars. Seems the chewy treats, which are imported from Pakistan, might contain elevated levels of lead. (Which, as we all know, can cause health problems in everyon ... More >>

Helicopters Blow Warm Air on Cold Florida Crops

For a second year in a row, cold threatens Florida's winter crops. NPR reports that farmers are hiring helicopters to hover low over the crops to push warm air downward. It's a desperate measure that costs around $2500 an hour, and last week three helicopters crashed on crop-warming missions. But if ... More >>

Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons

9 p.m. Saturday, October 30. The Firebird, 2706 Olive Street.

The Morning Brew: 5.24

Got alfalfa sprouts? Pitch 'em. The Associate Press reports that because 22 people in 10 states - including Missouri and Illinois - have developed salmonella, there's a nationwide recall. "The company [Caldwell Fresh Foods] said the recalled alfalfa sprouts were sold in plastic cups and plastic bags ... More >>

Monsanto Subject of Antitrust Workshop Today in Iowa with U.S. Attorney General

​Updated at 11:50 a.m. Competitors, activists, farmers, politicians. They all get a chance to weigh in on St. Louis-based Monsanto today at a "workshop" in Iowa that's to focus on antitrust behavior in the agriculture industry. In attendance at today's meeting will be U.S. Attorney General Eric Ho ... More >>

The Morning Brew: Tuesday, 11.3

​ Company recalls beef from stores, including Trader Joe's. (USDA)New study blames meat for half of greenhouse gases. (The Independent)Coffee sold in India claims to enhance virility. (Times of India)Man sues over turkey-tuna mix-up. Another sues over lack of fruit in Froot Loops. (Chicagob ... More >>

The Morning Brew: Friday, 7.24

A California company recalls romaine lettuce for possible salmonella contamination. (CNN)A man with high blood pressure sues Denny's for not disclosing sodium levels in its food. (UPI)Morgan Spurlock's anti-McDonald's movie Super Size Me is going to become a...comic book? (Chow.com)

Rally Downtown Today in Support of Obama's Consumer Financial Protection Agency

Americans for Financial Reform and ACORN plan to gather today in support of President Barack Obama's proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency. Like the Consumer Protection Agency, which safeguards people from hazardous product flaws involving housewares and other merchandise, the Consumer Finan ... More >>

BBB Warns of Massive Douche-Baggery on Twitter

As if Twitter Spam wasn't bad enough, the popularity of Twitter is now attracting yet another form of lowlife scum. The Better Business Bureau put out a warning on their website yesterday to watch out for schemes where someone promises you to get paid to Tweet. One of the websites that the BBB ... More >>

The Morning Brew: Tuesday, 4.14

A new study finds that Americans pay attention to the news of food recalls -- but don't search their own houses for recalled items. (Reuters)An Iowa company touts a new genetically modified soybean that could produce frying oil with zero transfats. (Des Moines Register)Mexico objects to a Burger Kin ... More >>

The Morning Brew: Wednesday, 4.1

More on the recall of pistachios due to salmonella fears. (Los Angeles Times)Crab season begins in the Chesapeake, with crabbers hoping the number of females has risen after last year's poor levels. (Baltimore Sun)Learning to love goat. As a food, you pervert. (New York Times)

This Week in RFT, March 25 to April 1

We're back on the streets, so grab yourself a copy and start moving your eyeballs. We have a lot to offer this week, and you sure can't beat the price. Your reading satisfaction guaranteed, or your money back!Unreal, for one, is up to its old tricks with some off-the-wall interviews with a so-c ... More >>

The Morning Brew: Wednesday, 1.14

In today's news: Whole Foods asks for help, Canada says OK to new meat labeling and a critic enters the kitchen

The Morning Brew: Tuesday, 1.13

In today's news: the FTC vs. Whole Foods, country-of-origin labeling and a close call for some rare lizards.

The Morning Brew: Friday, 11.7

The Morning Brew: Monday, 9.15

The Morning Brew: Tuesday, 7.29

The Morning Brew: Monday, 5.19

The Morning Brew: Wednesday, 4.23

The Morning Brew: Monday, 4.14

The Morning Brew: Thursday, 2.28

Another Weekend E. Coli Newsbreak

Pasta Strike

FDA and FTC Tell Monsanto to Quit Bellyaching (Part 1)

The Needle and the Damage Done

What do you do when you find a syringe in your new van?

Less Is Moore

Author and publisher Anne Elizabeth Moore helps kids avoid blind consumerism

No-Look Legislation

The good that doesn't get done and the bad that does in Jeff City

Best Name for an Auto-Repair Shop

Nader and Sons