Last year a recent report said that The U.S. is a hot bed for product recalls. With approximately 3,300 recalled items across the automotive, consumer products, food & drink, medical device and pharmaceutical industries. This represents a five – year high.
When businesses find out that one of their plants delivered a batch with tainted products or supplies even a danger, they typically initiate recalls. But for consumers, it’s hard to keep abreast of the many popular products recalled — and not know if any of the things you have purchased are affected.
The following items are some of the biggest public recalls currently on offer compiling into one easy to understand list.
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Ground cinnamon
Ground Cassia contains in Bolivia restaurant The US Food and Drug Administration warned on Wednesday of heightened lead levels in six brands of ground cinnamon. They are La Fiesta from La Superior Super Mercado’s, Marcum from Save A Lot, MK from SF Supermarket, Swad from Patel Brothers, Supreme Tradition from Dollar Tree & Family Dollar, and Eli Chilar from La Joya Morelense. A Dollar Tree spokesman said the company had taken its Supreme Tradition cinnamon out of stores. An FDA spokesman said there was no known link to the recall of lead-tainted cinnamon applesauce pouches last year.
Trader Joe’s soup dumplings
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a California producer is recalling about 62,000 pounds of frozen chicken soup dumplings sold at Trader Joe’s after consumers found pieces of hard plastic in the food.
The blaze may have been fueled by plastic from a permanent marker, officials said.
No illnesses have been reported from eating the soup dumplings that might contain bits of plastic, according to news reports.
“We voluntarily take action quickly to get rid of potential problems”, said a Trader Joe´s official. “If there´s any doubt about the safety or quality of a product we pull it immediately”.
Cinnamon applesauce pouches
Until Feb. 23, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had received 468 reports of elevated lead levels associated with cinnamon applesauce pouches, including 111 verified instances Evidently, the source of the lead contamination is cinnamon from a processor in Ecuador, says the FDA.to reported on Feb. 29 that the cinnamon contained lead chromate, an illegally added pigment used to increase weight or improve color in spices.
The children’s snack has been recalled by three brands.Wanabana took its Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree Pouches off store shelves in October, while Weis and supermarket brand Schnucks did the same thing in November.
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Jeep Grand Cherokees
Chrysler recently declared a massive recall of over 338,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees due to potentially defective steering parts that could separate and result in a catastrophic loss of control. Models from 2021 through 2023 are impacted, including both LS editions and standard Grand Cherokees manufactured in the past two model years.
In a notification published on the NHTSA website on February 24th, Chrysler detailed that the steering knuckles and upper control arms, which are designed to interconnect, may in actuality split apart. If such a separation were to occur while driving, the steering would fail and the SUVs could veer wildly off course. Proper steering is indispensable for navigating roads safely.
Fortunately, Chrysler reports that they have yet to receive any reports of accidents tied to the fault so far. However, the threat remains that a split second failure could end in tragedy if unaddressed, so the automaker is taking the prudent step of fixing the issue before lives are put at risk. Customer safety rightly takes top priority over all other concerns.
Eye ointments
Four types of pre-packaged eye medication were pulled from pharmacy shelves in late February due to suspicions that unsanitary production practices were employed. The recalled products — Walmart’s Equate Lubricating Eye Ointment, Equate Stye Lubricating Eye Ointment, CVS Health’s Moisturizing Eye Ointment and AACE Pharmaceuticals’ Nighttime Lubricating Ointment — had been distributed nationwide through select Walmart and CVS locations. Manufactured expiration dates ranged from February 2024 to September 2025.
In a statement, Brassica Pharma Pvt. Ltd., the manufacturer, acknowledged that potential contamination during production could enable ocular infections to take hold, albeit no issues pertaining to these specific batches had been reported as of mid-February.
This recall was independent of a cluster of bacterial eye infections tied to adulterated eye drops the year prior, prompting the removal of EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Tears from shelves. Moreover, the FDA cautioned against twenty-eight additional brands of eye drops after finding unsanitary conditions during an inspection of the facility where they were produced.
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Certain Volkswagen Group models
Volkswagen Group, which produces Volkswagen and Audi cars among other brands, called back roughly 261,000 vehicles over defective fuel tank suction pumps that could potentially lead to leaks. A variety of models may be affected including certain 2015 to 2020 model year Audi A3s, Volkswagen Jettas and Volkswagen Golfs.
Last month, Volkswagen cautioned that a faulty seal within the suction jet pump enables fuel to enter an alternative emissions containment system and maybe seep from the charcoal canister. A fuel leakage enhances the danger of fires and could harm a car or endanger its occupants through damage. New technology and innovation must consider safety first before rapid expansion and cost-cutting produces unintended risks. The automaker faces a complex challenge to resolve the issue while maintaining customer trust in quality and responsibility.
Queso fresco and cotija cheese
The US Food and Drug Administration warned consumers against eating various Mexican-style cheeses and dairy products manufactured by Rizo López Foods, a Modesto, California-based supplier, due to potential listeria contamination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked twenty-six listeria infections to the cheeses between June 2014 and December 2023, with cases reported nationwide. Investigators had closed the case initially but reopened it in January after new illnesses emerged and testing revealed the presence of listeria in a sample of cotija cheese from the company.
Listeria infection can lead to serious illness and even death in some groups. Of those already sickened, over twenty patients required hospitalization and sadly, two individuals succumbed to their infections.
To date, the massive recall connected to the outbreak has involved over one hundred fifteen Rizo López Foods products, spanning packaged meals, snacks and other dairy-containing items sold at prominent supermarket chains such as Albertsons, Costco and Safeway. As recently as February 22nd, ready-to-eat cheese and vegetable enchiladas produced by Rico Brand and comprising the potentially contaminated queso fresco were pulled from shelves.
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Gun safes
Four corporations recalled over 120,000 fingerprint gun safes sold through major online retailers like Amazon and Walmart. These safes could be unlocked by scanning a part of the owner’s body such as a fingerprint. However, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has received 91 reports of unauthorized individuals gaining access to the safes.
The recall on February 22nd encompassed approximately 60,000 Awesafe safes, over 33,000 Bulldog safes, and nearly 25,000 Machir safes. BBRKIN also pulled back 2,200 safes sold on Amazon after one incident where a 6-year-old boy opened the product.
The CPSC chair, Alex Hoehn-Saric, told Our News that the commission increased scrutiny of gun safes after a lawsuit in August alleged a 12-year-old boy died from a firearm retrieved from a biometric safe. Those safes were recalled in October.
Bulldog’s vice president, Brandon Rutledge, stated in a message that “the issues stemmed from owners not initially programming the safes correctly or at all.”
Toshiba laptop adapters
Dynabook’s recall involved over fifteen million AC adapters that posed potential burn and fire dangers. According to information published on the CPSC site, the company received reports spanning over a decade of the affected power supplies overheating, bursting into flames, melting, or charring. Forty-three cases included minor injuries from scalding.
The products in question were integrated with Toshiba laptops sold during that period as well as made available separately. Devices manufactured between April 2008 and December 2012 contained date codes linking them to the recall. Some units were longer-lasting but poorly designed, while others shorted out abruptly. Owners recalled sparks and smells but no major household fires. Dynabook vowed to fix or replace defective parts and strengthen quality control to regain customer confidence.
Gas station heroin
Two distributors have taken Neptune’s Fix off shelves at service stations, as well as vape or smoke shops. We have been hearing there may be a relationship between these products and seizures, loss of consciousness or even death. The supplements contain tianeptine, or “gas station heroin,” which is sold with false claims that it improves brain function and relieves anxiety, depression, pain or opioid use disorder. Tianeptine is not FDA-approved for any use.
Neptune Resources, LLC, meanwhile, has recalled its Neptune’s Fix elixirs and tablets. Another distributor, Super Chill Products, also has recalled the elixirs it was selling. On Jan. 11, the FDA sent a letter to gas stations and convenience stores, taking Neptune’s Fix and other tianeptine products out for sale.
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Garment steamers
Two million handheld fabric steamers were recalled by The steamers, sold under the brandsStreamfast, Vornado and Sharper Image were sold at Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond and Amazon. According to the CPSC Vornado reported 23 reports of burn injuries related to the issue.
Magnetic ball sets
On Feb.1, DailySale, the seller of a 216-piece magnetic ball set, voluntarily recalled the product as a potential for young children to swallow high-powered magnets. Joybuy, another company called, recalled this similar product late last year. On sale at Wal-MartUS The CPSC notes that if a child swallows more than one high-powered magnet, they may attract and pinch body tissue causing internal bleeding or infection. A low-powered partial vacuum effect also injures or strangulates body tissues with even greater danger of pain and death for the victim. The CPSC recorded 2,400 emergency room visits for magnet ingestion from 2017 to 2021 and seven deaths back in 2005.
Philips breathing machines
Although medical technology giant Philips recalled some breathing machines in 2021 due to toxic foam breakdown, over 500 reported deaths may be connected. Most recently, 111 additional deaths from July through September were disclosed by the FDA.
The recalled devices include specified ventilators along with BiPAP and CPAP machines employed to ameliorate sleep apnea. The agency claimed inhaled chemicals or foam bits could enter users’ airways since the foam applied in the machines is inclined to disintegrate. As part of a legal agreement, Philips declared in January it would halt novel sleep apnea product sales in the U.S. without FDA and Department of Justice approval.
While a number of casualties were reported relevant to the machines, a Philips representative specified the company has yet to definitively link the devices to all recounted deaths.
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Quaker Oats products
Since December 15, more than 60 Quaker products have been recalled because they may contain salmonella bacteria. Products in question include certain flavors of Cap’n Crunch and Oatmeal Squares cereals; some Gatorade protein bars; also some batches of Quaker Chewy granola bars and Quaker granola cereals. The latest of these recalls by the Quaker Oats Company was news on January 31st that it is recalling now-discontinued Quaker Chewy Dipps Llama Rama bars.
2003 to 2005 Toyota models
Toyota took the step after noticing that the airbag on many vehicles might malfunction and possibly even explode, especially when it has relatively high humidity.
The affected cars include the 2003-2004 Corolla, 2003-2004 Corolla Matrix and model year 2004-2005 RAV4s.
In its statement Tuesday, Toyota said that deployment of an airbag on these older models has higher potential to injure occupants.
The advisory is linked to the Takata airbag recall that has affected tens of millions of vehicles since 2013 and which now comprises the largest recall in automotive history.
