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Consumer Q's for Oct. 25, 2007

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:  Albert’s Recalls Halloween Skull Pails Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.   Name of Product: Skull Pails Filled With Halloween Candy Mix; Units:   About 55,000; Manufacturer:   R.L. Albert & Son, of Greenwich, Conn.  Hazard:   The surface paint on the eyes, nose, and teeth of the skull contains excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.  Incidents/Injuries:   None reported.  Description:   This recall involves the Albert’s Halloween skull pails filled with candy mix.   The skull-shaped pail is white with green eyes, nose and teeth.   The pail has a clear lid with a label in which “Albert’s” and “Skull Pails Filled with Halloween Candy Mix” is printed.   The pail measures about 5 ½ inches high.  Sold at:   Retail stores nationwide from September 2007 through October 2007 for $2.  Manufactured in:   China; Remedy:   Consumers should immediately take the recalled product away from children and take it to the retailer where it was purchased to receive a full refund. Consumer Contact:   For additional information, contact Albert’s toll-free at (866) 796-6110 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

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From time to time my neighborhood grocery store has meat sales.  Sometimes the meat is stored in aisle containers but not refrigerated.  Is this safe?

No.  This should be reported to our office of Consumer Protection.  This section receives consumer inquiries concerning sanitary conditions relative to food and food borne illness.  They also review blueprints of retail operations prior to their construction as well as reviewing sandwich and retail store labels to insure compliance with the laws, rules and regulations as set forth by the state and federal mandate.  Please contact the Office of Consumer Protection at (404) 656-3621 to report such an incident or the office of Consumer Services at (404) 656-3645 for additional information.

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This summer I grew several ornamental sweet potato vines in containers. I've replaced them with fall annuals, and now have a couple of beautiful, large potatoes.  Can I save them for next year? 
Howpropagate more plants from them?

A freshly harvested sweet potato has a tender skin that bruises easily.  Damaged roots will decay in storage.  Allow the harvested potatoes to dry for a few hours and then spread them on a tray lined with newspaper, hay or sawdust.

Place them in a dry, warm area (about 80-85 degrees for 10-14 days).  This will "cure" them and set the skins so they store better.  They should be stored in a cool (55-60 degrees) dry place.  Sweet potatoes treated this way will store for several months.  Remove any roots that show signs of deterioration or decay.

Next spring, lay the sweet potatoes on their sides in a hotbed about a month before the nighttime temperatures stay above 60 degrees F.  Cover the sweet potato roots with two inches of moist sand and keep the hotbed between 75 degrees and 80 degrees F.  When the sprouts develop, remove them with a twisting tug and pot them up for rooting and growing into new plants.  Additional transplants (slips) will form from the bedded sweet potatoes if you leave it in place.  The vine segments can also be rooted if you wish to make more plants than the above method provides.

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I have two big pumpkins and both of them have a little hole with a white gel flowing from the opening.   Will this cause permanent damage, and is there a control?

Insects known as pickle worms and melon worms are likely attacking your pumpkins.  The eggs are laid on the foliage or surface of the fruit, and the larvae bore into the rind.   Take a close look at the hole, and if the damage is superficial it can be ignored.  Older pumpkins may show injury, but only the outer portion is affected and the wound usually heals.  When the pumpkins are young and soft, the insects enter and feed inside, causing the fruit to rot.  Where needed, a natural Bacillus thuringeiensis-containing insecticide or a synthetic spray of Sevin or a new pyrethroid may help.  Follow the label instructions.

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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 metro area) or 1-800-282-5852 (state wide).