product defect -

The United States Department of Agriculture is holding a public summit for the safety of pre-harvest food on November 9, 2011, in Washington, DC, according to recent news sources. The summit will be led by the Secretary of Food and Safety.

The Secretary has stated that, “In my opinion, the food safety laws have be reviewed completely. We will not be going to the farms, but we will be sponsoring the discussion.”

In regards to regulation concerns, she stated, “We don’t intend to reach the farms, we will not be regulating producers for FSIS, and there is a lot of risk that has to be handled with care by us and the producers. We have been indulged in these kind of discussions with the packers already, we are also in contact with producers, scientists and we have planned to do a proper research for the pre-food safety.”

Poultry standards are currently under revision by the Department of Agriculture in order to prevent products from coming into contact with bacteria that causes food-borne illnesses.

As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, I know that there many rules and regulations that most food and product manufacturers must abode by. Even so, mistakes can and will be made. The product defect lawyer at our law firm hopes that you or your loved will not be affected by food-borne illness, and I hope all consumers benefit from this safety summit.

A baby sling, used to hold a baby around a parents chest in a hands-free fashion, has been blamed in the suffocation of a two-day-old baby, according to recent news sources.

Authorities on the issue have warned that parent need continued warnings about how to properly wear the slings.

“Infants may be placed in a position where there is excessive flexion of the neck or obstruction of the mouth and nose that may cause suffocation.The soft and rounded sleeping surfaces may promote a potentially dangerous posture that impedes normal respiration. Constant monitoring of infants in slings is advised to ensure the infant’s head is facing outwards, with no covering of the face. “

Sixteen deaths have been related to the device’s use in the United States and Canada, which caused a limit to be placed on age use. The devices are not recommended for children under four months old.

As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, I encourage parents to read all the instructions on products that are related to their child. I have seen many defective products harm children in my experience as a product liability lawyer. If you or someone you love has been injured by a harmful product, I advice you to get in touch with a personal injury lawyer who can help you with your case.

After failing to report product defects and incidents of injury to the Consumer Product Safety Commission for years, Bad Boy Enterprises has agreed to pay a penalty settlement of $715,000, according to news sources.

CPSC has made allegations that Bad Boy Enterprises failed to report a defect in their Classic Buggies off-road utility vehicles that posed a safety hazard to consumers. The law requires that companies report defects or incidents within 24 hours.

The product included a motor that could suddenly and unexpectedly accelerate while the ignition was idle, resulting in over 50 incidents and several injuries. The product was sold between 2003 and June 2010 for about $10,000 at authorized dealerships.

The firm began a repair program for the issue in 2008, but it wasn’t until August 2009 that they reported the defect to the CPSC. The first recall was issued in October 2009. The aptly named Bad Boy Enterprises did not fully disclose the defect until May 2010. A second recall was announced in December 2010. Injuries that had been reported by that time included arm and leg fractures, a fractured toe, rotator cuff injury, and sore muscles.

As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I’m glad to hear that the CPSC is holding this firm responsible for violating the law. Safety codes are in place for a reason. If you or someone you love has been injured by a dangerous consumer product, I advise you to contact a product liability lawyer to help you proceed legally.

Fonterra is conducting a recall of their Mainland cheese after a metal fragment appeared among the contents of one package, according to news reports.

Although no one has been injured, Fonterra is issuing a recall as a precaution. Consumers are advised not to consume the products, but to return them to the store they purchased them for a full refund.

The products affected include:

Mainland Tasty Block 500g Best Before date of 28 March 2012 (Batches JI and JE)

Mainland Tasty Block 700g Best before date of 28 April 2012 (Batch JF)

Mainland Tasty Block 1kg Best before date of 28 December 2011 (Batch BD)

Mainland Tasty Block 1kg Best before date of 28 January 2012 (Batches AB, AC and AD)

Mainland Tasty Block 1kg Best before date of 28 February 2012 (Batch BF)

As a product defect lawyer, I have seen food recalls like this one and I know that, with as much testing goes into food products before they are presented for sale, mistakes can still be made. Although our Los Angeles personal injury law firm does not handle these type of cases there are food recall lawyers out there that can help your or a loved one if you have been affected by a recall such as this one. If you notice a defect in a product you have purchased, please notify the company for consumer safety purposes.

In a press release, the UK-based pharmaceutical manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser announced that they have ceased the production and distribution of their Nurofen Plus due to the suspicion of tampering and sabotage.

The British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a Class 1 drug alert to consumers and healthcare professionals based on five reported cases that other drugs, including antipsychotics, have been found inside the packaging for Nurofen Plus. RCGP chairwoman Dr. Clare Gerada stated, “Patients should always be careful when taking medication, but in this case I would like to remind all patients to be extra vigilant if they are taking Nurofen Plus, and to check the blister packaging thoroughly. The MHRA has acted really speedily on this, and I would like to echo its call for patients to check and double check their Nurofen Plus, and to return any affected packets to the pharmacy they came from. If patients continue to have concerns, or display any adverse effects from their medication, they should contact their GP.”

The anti-psychotic Seroquel XL was discovered in four packets of the recalled products and Neurotonin, an epilepsy prescription medication, was found in a packet of Nurofen Plus bought from an independent pharmacist in Northern Ireland. The company now thinks this is sabotage and suspects animal rights activists because the product is tested on animals.

While Nurofen Plus is mainly distributed throughout the UK, several stores in the United States have been known to carry the product. As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I felt it necessary to alert our readers to this potentially deadly situation. If you’ve been adversely affected by a drug product, it may be in your best interests to speak with a product defect lawyer.

Media sources reported that a third or more of the honey eaten in the US is likely to have been smuggled from China and is potentially tainted with illegal antibiotics and heavy metals. Research shows that millions of pounds of honey that has been deemed unsafe in dozens of countries are being imported and sold in record amounts.

Experts stated that some of the most recognized US honey packers knowingly buy mislabeled, transshipped or potentially altered honey so they are able to sell it at a lower cost than companies that require safety, quality and rigorously inspected honey.

Washington Legislative Chairman of the American Honey Producers Association Richard Adee said, “It’s no secret that the honey smuggling is being driven by money, the desire to save a couple of pennies a pound. These big packers are still using imported honey of uncertain safety that they know is illegal because they know their chances of getting caught are slim.”

After examining international and government shipping records, it was found that customs documents and interviews with North America’s top honey importers revealed the rampant honey laundering and record amount of Chinese honey being purchased by major US packers today.

The US Food and Drug Administration is working to resolve the issue.

As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I’m glad to learn that this issue has been addressed and officials are working to ensure the safety of our nation’s food sources. If you’ve been injured through the consumption of an unsafe food product, it may be in your best interests to call a product defect lawyer in your city.

In a press release, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning of life-threatening injury for the ShoulderFlex therapeutic massager, produced by King International LLC, after the device killed one person and almost strangled another.

The report requests that healthcare providers cease their recommendations of the device and urges consumers that have purchased the personal massager to dispose of the device in separate pieces, in separate places, so that it cannot be reassembled and used. The FDA is currently evaluating the company’s plans for an official recall.

The warning states, “The FDA is concerned that the ShoulderFlex Massager presents serious health risks. Hair, clothing and jewelry can become entangled in the massage device and cause serious injury or death.”

The warning was issued in direct relation to an incident where a necklace and piece of clothing became entangled in the device’s rotating massager. The FDA also stated that they’ve received two more reports of hair and clothing getting caught in the device.

As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, I’ve seen recalls of this nature before and am glad that the issues facing this device are being addressed accordingly. If you’ve been injured through the use of a defective product, contact a product liability lawyer in your city to discuss the legal avenues open to you.

News sources reported that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shut the American border to Mexican papayas Thursday because 15.6 percent of the imported fruit was found to be positive for Salmonella between May 12 and August 18.

According to the FDA, the samples that tested positive were taken from 28 separate firms from nearly all major papaya producing regions in Mexico. This imports alert’s denying admission of Mexican papayas in the US means that importers with have to prove that their product isn’t contaminated with Salmonella. This alert and ban come in the wake of reports from multiple states that over 100 people in the US were infected with Salmonella Agona. The Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified Mexican papayas from one importer to be the likely source of the pathogen.

The agency’s import alert announcing the ban stated, “Using the information provided by the cases, trace-backs were conducted in multiple states. FDA also collected samples of papaya to test for the outbreak strain. Based on information from the outbreak investigation, the outbreak has been associated with papaya from at least one grower and its shipper in Mexico.”

As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I’m happy to learn that the agency is taking steps to ensure the food safety of our nation. If you’ve been injured through the consumption of a contaminated food product, it may be in your best interests to speak with a product defect lawyer.

In a press release, H&P Industries Inc, a manufacturer of over-the-counter drug products, announced the voluntary recall of all lots of Povidone Iodine Swabsticks, Prep Solutions, Scrub Solutions and Prep Gels in cooperation with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to the lack of oversight infrastructure at the time of production.

The recall of these Povidone Iodine products is being initiated because H&P Industries produced them without having a system in place for microbial testing at the time of release, having a system in place to test incoming components and without having procedures set and in place to prevent objectionable microorganisms in these products. The company has conducted an extensive investigation and testing and has not found any evidence of contamination.

The Povidone Iodine products have been labeled as antiseptic for preparation of the skin prior to surgery and also for the use in the prevention of infection in minor cuts, scrapes and burns. The main use of the Povidone Iodine Scrub Solutions is as a surgical hand scrub for medical professionals. Patients having medical and surgical procedures performed, including those that are immunocompromised, have a high risk of infection from antiseptic surgical preparations that have been prepared, packaged or held in unsanitary condition and are considered injurious to health.

The company, to date, has received no reports of adverse effects or contamination in relation to this recall.

As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, I’ve seen recalls like this in the past and know that pharmaceutical manufacturers rigorously test their products prior to distribution. Still, mistakes are possible in even the most strenuous production processes. If you’ve suffered adverse effects from a contaminated drug product, it may be in your best interests to speak with an experienced product defect lawyer.

News agencies reported that Del Monte Fresh Produce filed a suit against the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claiming that “erroneous speculation, unsupported by scientific evidence” resulted in the March recall of Guatemalan cantaloupes associated with an outbreak of Salmonella Panama.

The complaint was filed in the US District Court in Maryland and seeks to repeal an FDA restriction so that the company may resume importing cantaloupes from Guatemala. The faults the FDA’s import alerts, which let the agency detain, without the need of physical examination, products that either violate or may potentially violate the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Del Monte is the largest importer of cantaloupes in the US and approximately 27 percent of their cantaloupes are imported from the Guatemalan supplier in question.

In the company’s press release, Del Monte stated that the FDA and many state health agency officials were at fault in saying that cantaloupes from a Guatemalan farm and packing facility were probably contaminated with Salmonella when “in fact, neither the FDA nor any state health agency in the US has offered evidence or data to support the FDA action.”

As a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, I’m glad that these issues are being resolved within are food safety evaluation process. If you’ve been injured through the consumption of a defective food product, contact a product defect lawyer in your city to learn more about the legal options open to you.