Home

Consumer Q's for 4/24/08

Contact:  Teresa Jenkins
(404) 656-3645
1-800-282-5852

 

CONSUMER Q’s
Prepared by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, Office of Public Affairs
Tommy Irvin, Commissioner
Call Consumer Q’s Hotline at 1-800-282-5852

 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product.   Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.   Name of Product:   Beco Baby Butterfly Carriers; Units:   About 2,000; Manufacturer:   Beco Baby Carrier Inc., of Newport Beach, Calif.; Hazard:   The buckles on the carrier shoulder straps can unexpectedly release tension, causing the strap to slip through, posing a fall hazard to the baby.  Incidents/Injuries:   Beco has received eight reports of the carrier straps slipping through the shoulder buckles. No injuries have been reported.  Description:   The recalled infant carriers were sold under brand name “Beco Baby Carrier Butterfly.”   The carriers have a black label with a green “b” logo on the left side and a butterfly on the right side.   The label is sewn on the outside of the carrier.   The following carrier styles are included in the recall:   Mia, Pony Express, Carnival, Addison, Ethan, Sophia, Cameron, Ava and Joshua.  Sold at:   Specialty retail stores nationwide and internet sites from January 2008 through February 2008 for about $140.  Manufactured in:   USA and Dominican Republic; Remedy:   should immediately stop using the carriers and contact Beco Baby Carrier to receive instructions for returning the carriers for repair.  Consumer Contact:   Consumers should contact Beco Baby Carrier Inc. toll-free at (888) 943-8232/9-GET-BECO between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.becobabycarrier.com

**************

Top five food safety myths:

The three-second rule

That's what some people call this common bit of folklore:  If you drop food on the floor, pick it up within three seconds or so and it will be fine to eat.  Wrong.  Even a nanosecond is enough for food to have a brief and fruitful affair with myriad bacteria that gets traipsed over the kitchen floor by footwear that has trodden upon footpaths, public toilet floors, train-carriage aisles and office carpet squares.  The worst thing to do is to pick up food from the floor and slip it into something that will not be cooked, such as a salad or a dessert:  "The bugs picked up can grow to dangerous levels very quickly and give you food poisoning."

Seafood is risky

Yes, those oysters can certainly be risky if left on the kitchen bench for hours.  But, in general, poor old prawns, scallops, fish and so on get a bad reputation just because they go bad more than other uncooked meats.   Seafood is no more likely to cause food poisoning than other meats, and in Georgia, strict regulations apply to its handling and storage.   Be sure to use seafood within two days of purchase.   Letting the juices from raw meat or poultry drip onto foods that will not be cooked (e.g. salad or leftovers) is one of the biggest risks where meat is concerned.

It's OK to leave cooked rice/pasta out of the refrigerator?

No.   Rice or pasta salad left out for hours at a lengthy summer picnic can cause much distress.  When these foods (and other cooked items) enter the temperature "danger zone" of 5-60 degrees, Bacillus cereus can form heat-resistant spores and a heat-resistant toxin. "If cooked food is allowed to cool slowly the spores can germinate,"  "Reheating or lightly cooking the food will not destroy this toxin.   Cooked food should not be stored in the refrigerator for more than two to three days."

Dairy products cause phlegm

Will a few spoonfuls of double-cream clog your sinuses and have you coughing?   This myth is not supported by scientific evidence, based on a comprehensive review in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.   After analyzing available scientific research on the topic, the authors concluded that milk intake was not associated with nose symptoms, cough or congestion.

Mold on cheese and jam is not dangerous

It all depends on the type of mold.  If it is not meant to be moldy, Roquefort and gorgonzola or the white mold on the rind of camembert - then it shouldn't be there.   Molds can penetrate more deeply than the eye can see, so what looks like a small patch on your chunky raspberry jam or vintage tasty cheese might be a lot larger.   The best idea is to throw it out.  Very moldy items should go to the compost bin for the worms.

**************

My daughter wants to start her own garden and wants to use egg shells for the seedlings.  How is this done?

According to the Georgia Extension Service: 

Save your eggshell halves.

Chip a small hole in each for drainage.

Put the eggshells in an egg carton.  Fill each half shell with planting mixture.

When transplanting to the garden, remove each eggshell from the carton and gently squeeze it to crack the shell a little.  The growing roots can break through.

Plant eggshell and all directly into the ground.  The eggshell will quickly break down and provide nutrients to the growing seedling.

**************

If you have questions or problems with products or services regulated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, you may write the Office of Consumer Services, Room 224, 19 Martin Luther King Drive, Atlanta 30334 or 404/656-3645 (metro Atlanta) or 1-800-282-5852 (state wide).