news and notes

There have been several consumer recalls over the past couple of days that may affect Deal Seeking Mom readers, so be sure to check for them in your home! Please refer to the links included in each section for more details about the specific recalls:

Fisher-Price Infant Toys with Inflatable Balls

A voluntary recall has been announced on Fisher-Price Baby Playzone Crawl & Cruise Playgrounds, Baby Playzone Crawl & Slide Arcades, Baby Gymtastics Play Walls, Ocean Wonders Kick & Crawl Aquariums, 1-2-3 Tetherballs and Bat & Score Goals because the valve of the inflatable ball on these toys can come off and pose a choking hazard.  Consumers should stop using the recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.  It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Consumers should immediately remove the inflatable ball from the product and keep it away from children.  Do not discard the inflatable ball but contact Fisher-Price for a free replacement kit.  For additional information contact Fisher-Price by phone at 800-432-5437 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s website.

Fisher-Price High Chairs

About 950,000 Healthy Care, Easy Clean and Close to Me Fisher-Price High Chairs have been recalled because children can fall on or against the pegs that are used for tray storage on the rear legs of the high chairs, resulting in injuries or lacerations.  Consumers should stop using the recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.  It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.  The recalled products were sold in mass merchandise retail stores nationwide from September 2001 through September 2010 for between $70 and $115.

Consumers should stop using the product immediately and contact Fisher-Price for instructions and a free repair kit.  For additional information contact Fisher-Price at 800-432-5437 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website.

Fisher-Price Little People Wheelies Stand ‘n Play Rampway

Fisher-Price has announced a voluntary recall of the Little People Wheelies Stand ‘n Play Rampway (model numbers T4261 and V6378) because the wheels on the purple and green cars can come off, posing a choking hazard to young children. The product was sold in mass merchandise stores nationwide from August 2010 through September 2010 for about $45. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Consumers should immediately take the affected purple and the green cars away from children and contact Fisher-Price for free replacement cars.  For additional information, contact Fisher Price at 800-432-5437 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website.

Fisher-Price Children’s Trikes

A voluntary recall has been announced on Fisher Price Trikes and Tough Trikes toddler tricycles. Consumers should stop using the recalled products immediately.  It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.  The products are being recalled because a child can strike, sit or fall on the protruding plastic ignition key resulting in serious injury, including genital bleeding.   The recall involves toddler tricycles with model numbers listed here, and have either a disc-shaped or D-shaped pretend key.  The model number are located under the seat in the storage compartment.  The products were sold in mass merchandise stores nationwide from January 1997 through September 2010 for $25.

Consumers should immediately place the tricycles out of children’s reach and contact Fisher-Price for a free replacement key.  For additional information, contact Fisher Price at 800-432-5437 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website.

Infant Sleep Positioners

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today warned consumers to stop using infant sleep positioners.  Over the past 13 years, CPSC and the FDA have received 12 reports of infants between the ages of one month and four months who died when they suffocated in sleep positioners or became trapped and suffocated between a sleep positioner and the side of a crib or bassinet.

There have been several consumer recalls over the past couple of days that may affect Deal Seeking Mom readers, so be sure to check your stockpile this weekend. Please refer to the links included in each section for more details about the specific recalls:

Molenaar Electroluminescent Night Lights

A voluntary recall has been announced by Molenaar LLC on two models of night lights due to a risk of shock or fire.  Consumers should stop using the recalled products immediately.  It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.  Model #2019 is shaped like a house.  Model #2017 is square-shaped with a rounded top.  The night lights glow green when plugged into an electrical outlet.  Molded into the night light’s back panel. just above the brass outlet prongs is “71980 U.S.A.”.  The night lights may have the brand names or logos of various companies printed on the front and were distributed as free promotional products with various company names between October 2001 and November 2009.

Consumers should immediately stop using the product and throw them away.  For additional information, contact Molenaar at 877-719-4442 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website.

Siemens and Murray Circuit Breakers

About 2.2 million circuit breakers have been recalled due to a fire hazard.  The recalled circuit breakers have a spring clip that can break during normal use, leading to a loss of force to maintain a proper electrical connection in the panelboard.  This can lead to excessive temperature, arcing or thermal damage at the connection point and damage to the panelboard, which could result in fire, property damage or personal injury.  Specific product information can be found here.

The recalled circuit breakers were sold at The Home Depot, Lowes, other hardware and building supply stores and numerous electrical distributors nationwide from June through August 2010.  Consumers should immediately contact Siemens for a free inspection by an electrician and a free replacement product.  For additional information contact Siemens at 800-756-6996 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit their website.

There have been several consumer recalls over the past couple of days that may affect Deal Seeking Mom readers, so be sure to check your stockpile for affectedproducts! Please refer to the links included in each section for more details about the specific recalls:

Similac Powdered Infant Formulas

Abbot Laboratories said it is recalling millions of containers of Similac Powdered Infant Formulas after beetles were found in the products in a Michigan plant.  Abbott said on Wednesday the voluntary recall follows reports of contamination by two consumers.  Inspection of an area of the plant in Sturgis, Michigan found beetles or their larvae. Abbott said “less than 5 million units” of Similac are being recalled in the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico and other Caribbean markets.

To get a list of affected Similac products, visit their website or contact them by phone at 800-986-8850.  Similac’s website is getting a lot of visits at this time, so be sure to try again if it doesn’t load the first time.

Other Recalls:

• Children’s Mood Rings and Necklaces
• Glass Vases from Michael’s Stores

I usually post recalls on Fridays, but since I have a lot of readers in Ohio, I wanted to be sure you all saw this one:

Dough Masters Inc. is recalling all lots of their Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Chocolate Chunk Cookies because they contain undeclared walnuts. People who have allergies to walnuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.  The recalled cookies were distributed to and sold at 7-eleven stores in Michigan and Ohio. The product comes in a 3-ounce clear plastic package and is labeled as a “7-eleven Fresh to Go” product.  The product is also sold as bulk cookies at 7-eleven Retail Stores.

Consumers who have purchased the Oatmeal Raisin Cookies or Chocolate Chunk Cookies should return them to the place they were purchased for a full refund.  Consumers with questions can call 248-953-4346 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST.

There have been several consumer recalls over the past couple of days that may affect Deal Seeking Mom readers, so be sure to check your stockpile this weekend. Please refer to the links included in each section for more details about the specific recalls:

Children’s Hooded Jackets and Sweatshirts with Drawstrings

Burlington Coat factory has recalled a large number of hooded jackets and sweatshirts with drawstrings through the hood and/or waist, which can pose a strangulation or entrapment hazard to children. The affected jackets and sweatshirts were sold primarily by the Burlington Coat Factory from January 1995 through September 2009.

Consumers should immediately remove the drawstrings from the garments to eliminate the hazard or return the garment to Burlington Coat Factory for a full refund or credit. For additional information, contact Burlington Coat Factory by phone at 888-223-2628 between 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit their website.

Giant Star Builders and Giant Stars Building Sets

All Giant Star Builders and Giant Stars Building Sets have been recalled due to reports of knobs breaking off from the center of the star. The giant stars measure 5-inches in diameter and are made of opaque plastic. Each star has six knobs protruding from a ring-shaped center. The Giant Starbuilder set contains red, green, yellow and blue stars. The Giant Star building set contains red, green, yellow, blue, orange and pink stars.

Consumers should immediately take the recalled star blocks away from children and contact Edushape for a replacement set or credit. For additional information, contact Edushape by phone at 800-404-4744 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit their website.

Chuck E. Cheese’s Light-Up Rings and Sunglasses

Over 1,000,000 Chuck E. Cheese Light-Up Rings and Sunglasses have been recalled. If crushed or pulled apart, the plastic casing can break into small pieces, possibly exposing the batteries, posing an ingestion hazard to children. If ingested, the batteries may be damaging to either the stomach, intestine, esophagus or nasal mucus membrane.

• The Light-Up Rings were distributed from April 2009 through June 2010 as part of a promotional product offering during parent-teacher association conventions. They measure 1 1/8 in. across and are made of plastic with a black elastic band. The rings come in blue, green, purple, yellow and pink.
• The Star Glasses were distributed from April 2009 through June 2010 as part of a birthday package. They are made of red translucent plastic and have the words Chuck E. Cheese’s painted on the side.

Consumers should immediately take the Light-Up Rings and Star Glasses away from children and return them to any Chuck E. Cheeses. For additional information, contact Chuck E. Cheese’s at 888-778-7193 by phone between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, email the company or visit their website.

Coleman Water Activated Spotlights

The lens assembly on Coleman Water Activated Spotlights can come apart from the main housing of the spotlight with force and pose a risk of impact injuries to consumers. The recalled spotlights were sold nationwide from January 2005 through June 2010 in various sporting good stores and other retail outlets. The below listed model numbers can be found printed on a white label affixed to the inside of the spotlight lens:

• Model number 5338-782 (orange), UPC 76501 22273
• Model number 5338-792 (yellow) UPC 76501-222753
• Model number 2000000153 (blue/white), UPC 76501 2226683

Consumers should immediately remove the batteries and stop using the spotlights. Visit Coleman’s website for instructs on how to obtain a replacement light. For additional information contact Coleman by phone at 800-835-3278 between 7 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or by email.

Fun Stuff Children’s Toys

Click Armband Bracelets, Klick Klick Balls and BoBo Balls have been recalled because the small balls on the end of the toy’s arms can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children. The recalled bracelets and balls are made of stretchy, rubber material with hard plastic, colorful balls attached at the end of the toy’s arms. The toys were sold with orange, green, pink, purple and blue colored balls. The BoBo balls have a flashing lighted ball encased in the stretchy material. The following item numbers can be found on the product packaging and are involved in this recall:

• Click Armband Bracelet, FS1842
• Klick Klick Ball, FS1734
• BoBo Ball, FS1814

Consumers should immediately take the recalled toys away from young children and return them to the place of purchase or contact Fun Stuff to receive a full refund. For additional information, contact Fun Stuff toll-free at 888-386-7833 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s website.

Cooked Beef Products

Sampco, Inc. is recalling approximately 258,000 pounds of cooked beef products. The following products are subject to recall:

• 12-ounce cans of “Libby Corned Beef” bearing a production code 100315U, 100316U, 100322U or 100326U. These products were sent to distribution centers in Florida, and Pennsylvania for retail sales.
• 7-ounce pouches of “Brushy Creek Shredded Beef” bearing a production code 100121, 100128, 100129, 100308 or 100322. These products were sent to distribution centers in Missouri, New Jersey, and Ohio, for retail sales.
• 10-ounce pouches of “Brushy Creek Roast Beef” bearing a production code 100226, 100309 or 100311. These products were sent to distribution centers in California, Missouri, New Jersey, and Texas for retail sales.
• 12-ounce cans of “Kroger Corned Beef” bearing a production code 100226U These products were sent to distribution centers in Indiana for retail sales.

Each product package bears “BRASIL 337 S.I.F,” as well as “Product of Brazil” or “Packed under Brazilian Government Inspection.”

Consumers with questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.