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Consumer Q - December 14, 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 14, 2006        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

Consumer Alert/Recall:  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:  Gemco® Lemonade Jars; Units: About 6,600; Importer:  Lifetime Brands Inc., of Westbury, N.Y.; Hazard:  The metal spigot contains lead and is in direct contact with the contents of the lemonade jar.  Lemonade and other beverages can cause the lead to leach from the spigot.  Long-term exposure to lead in children may be associated with behavioral problems, learning disabilities, hearing problems and growth retardation.  Incidents/Injuries:  None reported.  Description:   The recalled product is the Gemco® Lemonade Jar.  The product is a six-sided glass jar with a round glass lid and a metal spigot at the bottom of the jar.  The jar has a yellow and green label on the front that reads “Lemonade Jar” with a picture of two lemons.  There is a sticker on the bottom that reads “imported by Gemco, Div. Lifetime Hoan Corp. Westbury, N.Y. 11590 Made in China.  Sold at:  Retailers nationwide from April 2004 through November 2006 for about $16.  Manufactured in:  China; Remedy:  Consumers should stop using these lemonade jars immediately and return the spigot pieces to Lifetime Brands, Inc. for a full refund.  Consumers should wash hands after handling the spigot.  Consumer Contact:  For additional information, consumers can contact Lifetime Brands Inc., at (888) 561-2269 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or by e-mail at lemonadejar@lifetimebrands.com

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Care of Holiday and Gift Plants:  Flowering and foliage plants make wonderful gifts.  Whether or not they survive the holidays may be directly related to the care they are given.  Careful handling is a very important factor that may affect them.

Holiday gift plants are often delivered in waterproof containers or wrapped in foil.  If possible, remove these pot coverings or punch holes in the bottom to promote good drainage.  Place the pot in a saucer to protect furnishings.  Misting plants is not advised and may cause increased foliar disease.

Normal household temperatures (60-75 degrees F) are satisfactory for most plants.  Cooler temperatures (60-65 degrees F) lengthen the life of flowering plants, while extremely high temperatures (75-80 degrees F) will usually shorten that time.  This is particularly true of forced bulbs, which decline rapidly in the heat.  Some foliage plants are subject to chilling injury below 55 degrees.  Avoid temperature changes.  Put plants away from doors and heater and air conditioner vents.

Proper watering is critical.   Large plants in small containers dry out quickly.  Also, the relative humidity indoors tends to be quite low during the heating and air-conditioning seasons.  Under these conditions, check plants daily.  Over-watering can be just as detrimental as under-watering.  Pot plants generally should not be watered until the soil is nearly dry to the touch.  Then apply enough water that some drains from the bottom of the pot.  The excess should be discarded.

For specific information on African violets, amaryllis, azalea, as well as other plants please write to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, Office of Consumer Services or call us at 1-800-282-5852.  If you choose to you may email us at tjenkins@agr.state.ga.us please include your mailing address.

Gather Dead Annuals
Pull up marigolds, zinnias, celosias, and other warm-season annuals that withered with the first frost. Cultivate the soil if it's dry enough, and work in a nice layer of compost or other organic matter. Then add mulch, and the spot is ready for spring planting.

Rake Leaves
Rake leaves and pine straw that are blocking light to your lawn. Pile the leaves in a shady spot where they can slowly rot into leaf mold. This process usually takes two years, but the result is well worth the wait.

Rest Holiday Cactus
After the last blooms shrivel, move your holiday cactus to a cool room near a north or east window. Reduce watering so that the soil stays slightly moist, and stop feeding the plants altogether. Like most cacti, holiday cactus benefits from a leisurely winter rest.

Finish Planting Bulbs
Time is running out for planting tulips, daffodils, and other spring-flowering bulbs. If you have some bulbs chilling in your refrigerator but have no time to dig planting holes, pot them up instead. Later in winter you can force the potted bulbs to bloom indoors, or carefully transplant them to the garden.

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Will aspirin or sugar keep my Christmas tree fresh longer?

Adding aspirin, sugar, soda water, or bleach to the water for your Christmas tree is no more effective than adding plain water.

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If I order holiday foods through the mail, how can I be sure that they are safe to eat?

 

• Make sure the company sends perishable items, like meat or poultry, cold or frozen and packed with a cold source. It should be packed in foam or heavy corrugated cardboard.
• The food should be delivered as quickly as possible -- ideally, overnight. Make sure perishable items and the outer package are labeled "Keep Refrigerated" to alert the recipient.
• When you receive a food item marked "Keep Refrigerated," open it immediately and check its temperature. The food should arrive frozen or partially frozen with ice crystals still visible. Even if a product is smoked, cured, and/or fully cooked, it still is a perishable product and must be kept cold. If perishable food arrives warm, notify the company. Do not consume the food. Do not even taste suspect food.

Tell the recipient if the company has promised a delivery date.   Or alert the recipient that "the gift is in the mail" so someone can be there to receive it.   Don't have perishable items delivered to an office unless you know it will arrive on a work day and there is refrigerator space available for keeping it cold.

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If you have questions or problems with products or services regulated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, you may write the Office of Public Affairs, Room 224, 19 Martin Luther King Drive, Atlanta 30334 or call 404-656-3645 (Atlanta) or 1-800-282-5852 (toll free).