Consumer news across the country

Phone scheme hits Idaho
Police are warning about a new round of phone calls that promise big winnings from a sweepstakes prize. The caller introduces himself as an employee of the Federal Bureau of Consumer Protection Affairs, a made-up agency. (KPVI-TV)

Insurance company sued over health plans
A national insurance company is being sued for selling fixed-payment health plans that, according to plaintiffs, violated minimum standards in the State of Washington and had not been authorized by the state. (Seattle Times)

CR Health.org has a report that can help you tell whether your health plan provides good coverage.

Connecticut company recalls sprouts
Consumers were warned that sprout products produced by Amalgamated Produce Inc. (API) of Bridgeport, Conn., are being recalled.  A sample collected from a supermarket in New York tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.  The sprouts have been carried by major grocery stores in Connecticut. (Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection)

Consumer Reporter has more on food safety.

Study finds many consumers ignore food recalls

Only 60 percent of Americans have checked their cabinets for possibly contaminated food after a recall, a new study on consumer behavior found.

More than 25 percent have thrown away food after hearing about a recall, according to the Consumer Responses to Food Recalls study from Rutgers University, but only 10 percent have actually found a recalled food product.

The telephone survey found that more than one-in-ten Americans had eaten a food they thought had been recalled.

“Despite widespread awareness of recent foodborne illness outbreaks, and a sense that the number of food recalls is increasing, about half of Americans say that food recalls have had no impact on their lives,” William Hallman, a professor of human ecology at Rutgers University, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, said. “Getting consumers to pay attention to news about recalls isn't the hard part but getting them to take the step of actually looking for recalled food products in their homes is a real challenge.”

Why aren't consumers being more careful with possibly contaminated foods?

Eighty-four percent said they pay close attention to news about food recalls, the study found, but a full 50 percent said that food recalls have had no impact on their lives.

Rutgers found that 38 percent of those polled thought that the food products they purchased were less likely to be recalled than those purchased by others.

The study was based on a survey of 1,101 Americans interviewed by telephone from Aug. 4 to Sept. 24, 2008. Since that time, there have been major recalls of both peanuts and pistachios because of salmonella contamination.

CPSC: 14 companies will pay $1 million over drawstrings in kids' clothes

UPDATED: Fourteen companies will pay $1,055,000 in civil penalties to settle allegations that they failed to report that "children’s hooded sweatshirts or jackets they sold had drawstrings at the hood and/or neck," the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced today.

In 1996, the CPSC staff issued guidelines recommending the removal of hood and neck drawstrings from all children’s upper outerwear sized 2T to 12, and limiting the ends of waist/bottom drawstrings to 3 inches from the garment. Although the standard is voluntary, the CPSC has been enforcing the no-drawstring agreement as if it were a mandatory federal rule and has been issuing fines to companies that do not observe it.

The CPSC alleged that the companies had violated federal law by not reporting that their sweatshirts or jackets had drawstrings. The products were eventually recalled, the CPSC said, but "in agreeing to settle the matters, the firms deny CPSC’s allegations that they knowingly violated the law."

CPSC has ordered the following firms to pay civil penalties to the U.S. Treasury:

• The TJX Companies Inc., d/b/a T.J. Maxx, of Framingham, Mass.
• Marshalls of MA Inc., of Framingham, Mass.
• Concord Buying Group Inc., d/b/a A.J. Wright, of Framingham, Mass.
• Bob’s Stores Corp., of Meriden, Conn.
• Kidz World Inc., d/b/a High Energy USA, of New York City, N.Y.
• The Bon-Ton Stores Inc., of York, Pa.
• Coolibar Inc., of St. Louis Park, Minn.
• Brents-Riordan Co. LLC, of Shreveport, La.
• Forman Mills Inc., of Pennsauken, N.J.
• Urgent Gear Inc., of Los Angeles, Calif.
• Seventy Two Inc., of La Puenta, Calif.
• Orioxi International Corp., of Brea, Calif.
• Outfitter Trading Co. LLC, of Littleton, Colo.
• Retco Inc., of Breckenridge, Colo.

FDA launches pistachio recall page

As the scope of the pistachio recall grows, the Food and Drug Administration has launched a page on its Web site to keep consumers informed of developments.

You can search recalled pistachio products or browse the list of participating companies.

The welcome note leaves plenty of room for that list to get bigger:

The FDA and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) are investigating Salmonella contamination in pistachio products sold by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc, Calif. The company has stopped all distribution of processed pistachios and will issue a voluntary recall involving approximately 1 million pounds of its products. Because the pistachios were used as ingredients in a variety of foods, it is likely this recall will impact many products. In addition, the investigation at the company is ongoing and may lead to additional pistachio product recalls.

The FDA's pistachio page joins a similar one to keep track of the still-expanding peanut product recall.

If you're worried about products in your home, check CR's Safety Blog for more news and recalls. 

CPSC issues recall for 800,000 bears given away by State Farm

About 800,000 "Good Neigh Bears" handed out by the insurance company State Farm need to be rounded up, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced today.

The plastic eyes on the bears can come off and pose a choking hazard to young children, according to the CPSC.

State Farm received report of a child putting a bear's eye in her mouth, but there have been no reported injuries.

The bears should be taken away from young children and discard them, State Farm advises.

The bears, which were given out as part of sponsored events from September 2005 to March 2007, are brown and wear a white and red State Farm shirt.

Another 27,000 similar bears are being recalled in Canada.