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Maybe We Should Do Something — Why Now?
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Maybe We Should Do Something

From CNN’s health blog – CDC: 1 in 6 Americans get food poisoning annually

According to CDC’s 2011 Estimates of Foodborne Disease, 1 in 6 Americans will get sick from known and unknown bacteria, viruses and microbes each year resulting in about 128,000 hospitalizations and about 3,000 deaths. This new data was released by the CDC online Wednesday (the two reports summarizing their results will be published in the CDC’s Emerging Infectious Disease Journal in January, which is why the numbers are called “2011 estimates”).

With about 50 million people getting sick from the food, maybe we should have an agency that looks at food safety… oh, wait, we do but they don’t have the power to actually do anything about it because that would be government interference in private business matters. The “market” will take care of it 😈

3 comments

1 Kryten42 { 12.16.10 at 8:38 am }

In a curious twist, McD’s has realized that even the death of children from a tainted product is VERY bad for business. So, they have voluntarily recalled some 12million “Shrek” themed glasses that sold for $2 in the USA, and have offered a refund of $3 to get them back! And no… they were NOT made in China (as I have seen some reports state), they were made by a French Company’s plant in N.J. USA, Arc International ( known by their Pyrex brand). 🙂

How did cadmium get into McDonald’s ‘Shrek’ glasses?

Also, almost all the news reports I’ve seen from the USA, Canada and the UK, imply in the articles that it was because of the US CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission). However, the CPSG was notified by Congresswoman (D-CA) Jackie Speier, and the original announcement has been amended to state that fact. 😉

McDonald’s Recalls Movie Themed Drinking Glasses Due to Potential Cadmium Risk

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: “Shrek Forever After 3D” Collectable Drinking Glasses
Units: About 12 million
Manufacturer: ARC International, of Millville, NJ.
Distributor: McDonald’s Corp., Oakbrook, Ill.

Hazard: The designs on the glasses contain cadmium. Long term exposure to cadmium can cause adverse health effects.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The “Shrek Forever After 3D” collectable drinking glass are 16 ounce glasses that came in four designs, Shrek, Fiona, Puss n’ Boots, and Donkey.

Sold exclusively at: McDonald’s restaurants nationwide from May 2010 into June 2010 for about $2.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: McDonald’s is asking consumers to immediately stop using the glass out of an abundance of caution. Visit http://www.mcdonalds.com/glasses for additional instructions on how to obtain a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact McDonald’s toll-free at (800) 244-6227 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s website at http://www.mcdonalds.com/glasses

Note: CPSC was made aware of issues with this product through the Office of Congresswoman Jackie Speier from California.

McDonalds Shrek glass recall: thank Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA)

This was an interesting article. It shows that Rep Speier cares about health of children, and the CPSC cares about companies right to make children sick, or even kill them. 🙂

No mandatory cadmium limits; McDonald’s Shrek glasses were OK

So, obviously, the CPSC is yet another organization run by Rethugs & the big business elites, right? 😉

2 Badtux { 12.16.10 at 1:55 pm }

Quit making the magical Free Market Fairy cry, Bryan! Don’t you know that magic free market fairy dust will fix everything? How *dare* you say that the Free Market Fairy isn’t, like, real! 🙂

-Badtux the Snarky Penguin

3 Bryan { 12.16.10 at 10:12 pm }

Kryten, the glasses may has been made in the US, but the decals that were applied almost had to come from China, as they still use both lead and cadmium in their dyes and paints, especially reds. Heavy metals are common in glazing colors, with the highest quality red glass containing gold. There are substitutes now, but many Chinese companies still use the old formulations.

It was a “voluntary” recall, because the CPSC, and other “regulators” must ask, not tell, corporations to clean up their act, and there are trial lawyers ready to file class action law suits if they don’t do it quickly.

The problem is that the problem had to be discovered by a non-profit that actually tests these products, because the CPSC doesn’t have the ability or budget to do it, and then the activist have to find a Congresscritter to light a fire under them, because response to actual consumer complaints is measured in geologic eras, not the normal human time scale. Not enough staff, not enough facilities, not enough power, and not enough money – that’s the story of US regulation.

The Free Market Fairy would do a lot more than cry if it followed my advise on where to put the wand. Badtux.