Toyota recall saga reminiscent of ‘Groundhog Day’ Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Posted by savvyconsumer in Sally Greenberg, safety.Tags: auto safety, recalls, Toyota
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By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director
Toyota’s current recall saga reminds me of the movie Groundhog Day – every day it’s the same thing, or a variation. First it was Toyota cars experiencing unintended acceleration caused by improper floor mats and sticky gas pedals, causing the Japanese automaker to issue a massive recall of millions of vehicles, stopping production, and bringing sales to a halt. Then, very quickly, the company announced it had a fix. So soon? (By the way, “product recall” is a misnomer that I find misleading because it suggests the product, in this case a Toyota car, will be retired or taken out of service permanently. That’s not what “recall” means. In this case, a consumer brings in his or her recalled car to a dealer, who fixes the problem at no charge. Recalls are mostly launched because of an inquiry and agreement with the company that it will fix the problem, prompted by consumer complaints about safety.)
I spent 10 years working on auto safety matters at Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, and I’ve had a hard time sorting out what exactly is going on with Toyota, so I can only imagine how confusing the series of events, reactions, and news coverage must be for consumers who own Toyotas. Members of Congress have scheduled a hearing next week, and two members on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are asking Toyota officials to clarify what exactly happened leading up to this recall. U.S. Toyota President James Lentz apparently told committee staff last year that the company first learned of the sticky pedals in vehicles driven in Ireland and England in April and May of 2009. But Lentz went on the Today Show this week and claimed that Toyota first became aware of the sticking accelerator pedals in late October of 2009. House members – and consumers – want this inconsistency explained.
Sean Kane, who runs a group called Safety Research and Strategies, documented more than 2,000 instances of unintended acceleration involving Toyotas, resulting in more than 800 crashes and 19 deaths since 1999. Carol Mathews of Rockville complained in 2003 to NHTSA about her Lexus’ sudden acceleration into a tree. Apparently Mathew’s complaint launched an NHTSA investigation.
Meanwhile, to avoid problems with electronic throttles and sudden acceleration, some automakers have introduced brake override systems, which is an electronic adjustment that allows drivers to stop the car even if the throttle is stuck open. But Joan Claybrook, longtime President of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen and a former NHTSA Administrator, asked a good question: “If it was just a floor mat problem, taking the floor mat out would correct the problem – so why are they putting the brake override in?” Toyota told the Washington Post that this was “an extra measure of confidence like other passive safety features on our vehicles.” Confidence is likely the last thing many consumers are feeling right now about their Toyotas.
Toyota could have avoided the negative publicity by more being upfront and open about safety problems, letting consumers know it was the company’s intent to fix safety problems. Instead we got inconsistent statements, confusing information, and a rushed fix, which – for better or worse – has been met with skepticism about its effectiveness. There’s a lesson here for all companies: consumers will respect your quick attention to address any safety concerns you uncover and will work with you to get the problem fixed. Don’t bury your head in the sand or blame the consumer for safety problems, as some dealers did.
Toyota — which should agree to be organized by the United Auto Makers union — makes a solid and popular line of vehicles; however, its handling of this recall has been plagued by confusing information and new safety concerns daily. Consumers deserve better. We hope Toyota can deliver on its promises to fix the flaws in the newer models and slow down its production line — if even a little — so that it can return to being the automaker many Americans trust to turn out a great product.
Tylenol products being recalled for non-serious problems Thursday, February 4, 2010
Posted by savvyconsumer in Rebecca Burkholder, health, safety.Tags: FDA, recalls, Tylenol
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by Rebecca Burkholder, NCL Vice President for Health Policy
Consumers should be aware of a recent recall by McNeil Consumer Healthcare for several widely used over-the-counter drugs, including Tylenol, Motrin, and Benadryl products. The recall, done in consultation with the Food and Drug Administration, was issued after McNeil received complaints of an “unusual moldy, musty, or mildew-like” odor that, according to the company, was linked to a small number of “non-serious” stomach problems, including nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.
If you have purchased these products (which include junior-strength Motrin, children’s Tylenol grape meltaway tablets, extra-strength Tylenol rapid release gelcaps, Motrin caplets, extra-strength Rolaids, St. Joseph Aspirin chewable orange tablets, and Benadryl allergy tablets) you should stop using the product and contact McNeil to find out how to get a refund or replacement. For more information and a full list of the recalled products, including lot number and UPC code (both found on the side of the bottle) click here. Any adverse reactions should be reported to the FDA Medwatch program. If you have medical questions, you should talk to your health care provider as soon as possible.
According to McNeil, the musty small was caused by small amounts of the chemical “2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA).” The chemical is applied to wood pallets used to transport and store packaging materials for the recalled products. The company reported that “the health effects of this chemical have not been well studied, but no serious events have been documented in the medical literature.”
Remember that any time you suspect something is wrong with a medication you are taking (smell, look, or taste) you should contact the FDA, and, if it’s a prescription medication, the pharmacist who sold it to you. You should also contact your health care provider if you have any questions.
Love your heart during American Heart Month Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Posted by savvyconsumer in health.Tags: American Hearth Month, President Obama
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February is American Heart Month and this Friday, February 5, we remind everyone to wear red to support women’s heart disease awareness. Heart disease is the number one killer of women each year, and one American dies every minute from a heart attack. By taking a few simple steps, you can reduce your risk of developing heart disease.
The President, in a proclamation issued earlier this week, reminds us that while costly and devastating, heart disease can largely be prevented. He suggests we protect our families from the disease by taking ‘responsibility for our health and that of our children – including exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy diet, avoiding tobacco, and raising our children to spend more time playing outside.’
Remind your friends and family to love their heart.
Americans going hungry a top priority for 2010 Monday, February 1, 2010
Posted by savvyconsumer in Courtney Brein, food and nutrition, the economy.Tags: hunger, poverty, President Obama, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
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Part two of a four-part series, in which we present the food issues we anticipate will affect American consumers the most in 2010.
By Courtney Brein, Linda Golodner Food Safety and Nutrition Fellow
Even in the best of times in modern-day America, amid a near-constant stream of news about the obesity rate and the overabundance of calorie-dense foods, hunger has remained a problem in American society. The current economic downturn has caused a dramatic increase in the number of Americans going hungry.
According to a USDA report on household food security in 2008, 14.6 percent of households – comprising 49 million individuals – were “food insecure” at some point during the year. These figures reflected a sharp rise from 2007, when food insecurity affected 11.1 percent of households, or 36 million people. And, while the statistics on household food security for 2009 are not yet available, USDA SNAP monthly data shows that the number of Americans receiving aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as “food stamps,” rose dramatically throughout the year. In December of 2008, nearly 32 million individuals were enrolled in SNAP – up from almost 28 million in the first month of the year. By September of 2009 – the last month for which data is currently available – that number had risen to over 37 million. As the New York Times reported at the end of November, one in eight Americans and, alarmingly, one in four children now rely on food stamps. Approximately 20,000 new individuals enroll each day. And as the discrepancy between food insecure individuals and SNAP enrollment reveals, a large portion of the population still experiences hunger, whether steadily or intermittently, without the benefit of the supplemental nutrition safety net. Of those who do receive SNAP, approximately six million individuals rely on it as their sole source of income, according to a December New York Times article.
While the federal government continues to fund the ever-growing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and food pantries find creative ways to serve a growing number of clients despite declines in donations, it will require more than patches to the nutritional safety net to reign in hunger in the United States. The Healthy People 2010 objectives set the goal of decreasing U.S. household food insecurity by 50 percent from the 1995 baseline of 12 percent to 6 percent in 2010. Clearly, this was an overly ambitious goal. In October 2008, during the presidential campaign, President Obama pledged to end childhood hunger by 2015. As the official campaign statement noted, “The most effective way to eliminate childhood hunger and reduce hunger among adults is through a broad expansion of economic opportunity…Barack Obama understands that poverty is the primary cause of hunger and has a comprehensive plan to reduce and alleviate poverty.” Coalitions such as the National Anti-Hunger Organizations (NAHO) and the Campaign to End Childhood Hunger continue to provide policy recommendations and ground-level support for meeting food security objectives, but it will require that the government make a lasting, financial commitment to providing the economic opportunities and income supports necessary to permanently reduce hunger.
In a country as wealthy as ours, access to an adequate supply of nutritious food should be a basic human right. And for those not swayed by the moral argument, there is also a strong economic argument to be made for reducing hunger, particularly among children. As NAHO explains:
Over the past ten years, researchers have confirmed what educators, child caregivers and healthcare professionals know through observation: When children don’t get enough nutritious food, they fall behind physically, cognitively, academically, emotionally and socially. They, their families, communities and country suffer the life-long consequences of these reduced outcomes. Adults who experienced hunger as children have lower levels of educational and technical skills. Ill-prepared to perform effectively in today’s jobs, they create a workforce that is less competitive…Ending childhood hunger in America will improve the health of its people while reducing short- and long-term healthcare costs, elevate the educational status of its people, and help the nation regain its workforce competitiveness and economic strength.
The ultimate goal of hunger-relief programs should not be merely to provide the necessities of life to those who need them, but to enable all consumers to be just that – individuals able to work and earn enough money to purchase food with which to feed themselves and their families. And, while the Healthy People 2010 objective to decrease U.S. household food insecurity to 6 percent clearly will not be met, the year 2010 is nevertheless a fitting time to commit to the reduction of hunger in America.
Effort to pass legislation to protect farmworker children gathers steam Friday, January 29, 2010
Posted by savvyconsumer in Child Labor Coalition, Reid Maki, child labor, legislative issues.Tags: agriculture, CARE
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by Reid Maki, Child Labor Coalition
This post originally ran in Media Voices for Children, an Internet news agency for children’s rights.
In November, I reminded folks that young children—children who are 12- and 13-years-old and even younger in some cases—harvest fruits and vegetables on many U.S. farms and that many of them are allowed to do so because of loopholes in U.S. child labor law that go back to the 1930s. Child advocates have been trying to close those loopholes for years, and today, I’m happy to report that the campaign is progressing well.
Last week, Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO) became the 68th member of Congress to cosponsor the Children’s Act for Responsible Employment (CARE), HR 3564, which would close the legal loopholes and apply the same child labor laws to all working children. The bill, introduced by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) in September, would preserve an exemption for family farmers so their children could help on the farm, but the children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers who work for wages would have to wait till they are at least 14 to work. The U.S. Department of Labor would evaluate the safety of agricultural jobs to determine if some can be performed by 14- and 15-year-olds. The CARE Act would also prohibit teens in agriculture from doing jobs recognized as very dangerous until they were 18—the age limit in all other industries.
Campaign organizers, including the 24 members of the Child Labor Coalition, the American Federation of Teachers, the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs, Human Rights Watch, and First Focus Campaign for Children, are pleased that members of Congress from states with large farmworker communities have embraced the bill. Twenty members of the California delegation have cosponsored CARE. Texas, another state that is home to many migrant farmworkers, boasts seven members who have co-sponsored the bill. The Progressive Caucus has been incredibly supportive with 43 members co-sponsoring the legislation.
LifeSmarts state competitions wrapping up Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Posted by savvyconsumer in LifeSmarts, kids.add a comment
As we come into the home stretch of the online LifeSmarts competitions, LifeSmarts students are busy learning all they can using the practice quizzes, LifeSmarts U online lessons, and all the other resources to be found on the LifeSmarts Web site. Since competition opened in September students have already answered 1.5 million consumer questions online!
LifeSmarts is education for the real world, and it arms students with knowledge they begin implementing right away. Students say LifeSmarts has helped them:
- know what to do when my ATM card gets stolen
- budget and keep track of purchases with my debit card
- know the proper temperature to store certain foods
- know what to look for when I buy my next cell phone
- learn about my rights as a worker (and I got a raise!)
- provide reasons why my parents should seek a refund for a poor-quality product
- remember to turn my low beams on when it is foggy
- learn to read the fine print when using OTC drugs
- explain consumer rights to a friend whose phone service got slammed
- vigilantly guard my Social Security number
- recycle more
It is gratifying to see this generation of young consumers demonstrate their desire to learn as much as they can about important issues that will give them a leg-up in life. Hats off to you!
Eating 2010: The food issues that will matter most for American consumers Monday, January 25, 2010
Posted by savvyconsumer in Courtney Brein, food and nutrition, legislative issues.Tags: FDA, Make Our Food Safe Coalition
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Update: Late in the day on Monday, January 25, 2010, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Dr. Elisabeth Hagen for the position of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Under Secretary for Food Safety. Dr. Hagen currently serves as the USDA’s Chief Medical Officer. For more information, see the official USDA News Release.
By Courtney Brein, Linda Golodner Food Safety and Nutrition Fellow
While issues such as the recession, the unemployment rate, and the health reform debate ruled the airwaves in 2009, a number of food-related issues nonetheless grabbed the attention of American consumers. From the mass peanut product recall to the news coverage of the White House garden to the rising hunger rates, food issues not only made the news but directly impacted millions of Americans last year. Here, in a four-part series, we present the food issues that we anticipate will affect American consumers the most – in addition to attracting media attention – in the coming year.
Food Safety
As the recent outbreaks of foodborne illness linked to contaminated spinach, peanut butter, and cookie dough underscore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not currently possess the authority, funding, and capacity to adequately ensure the safety of food consumers purchase, whether it be imported items or those produced in the United States. Making food in the U.S. significantly safer than it is now will require FDA reform legislation, a goal towards which the National Consumers League has been working, along with fellow members of the Make Our Food Safe coalition.
In July, the House overwhelmingly passed H.R. 2749, its version of FDA food safety reform, which would increase the regulatory powers of the FDA, require food from other countries to meet the same safety standards as food produced in the United States, establish a national food tracing system, and require all food processing facilities to implement food safety plans. The Senate bill, S. 510, contains many of the key provisions in the House bill, although it lacks the strength of that legislation in several areas, including inspection frequency and oversight of imported foods. Nonetheless, S. 510 would give FDA the authorities it needs to create a food safety system focused on preventing foodborne illness, rather than on simply responding to outbreaks as they occur. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) unanimously approved this bipartisan piece of legislation in November. Now, as soon as possible, the Senate needs to bring the bill to the floor for a vote, in order to make food-safety reform a reality. The Make Our Food Safe Coalition and victims of foodborne illness and their families will continue to call for Congress to enact food safety legislation until it does so.
Once food safety legislation passes, consumers should look to Michael Taylor, the newly named FDA deputy commissioner for foods, to implement the new laws designed to prevent outbreaks of foodborne illness. This new position – Taylor is the first to hold it – will help to increase the focus on food in the agency, which also regulates drugs and medical devices.
While the position of FDA deputy commissioner for foods is now filled, numerous other food-related administration positions continue to remain vacant. The top food safety post at USDA, that of Undersecretary for Food Safety, is the most significant of these empty spots, but four other USDA positions – general counsel; chief financial officer; undersecretary for research, education and economics; and administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service – have not yet been filled. Several of the vacancies require presidential nomination and Senate confirmation; the USDA requires individuals in all of these positions in order to best ensure the safety of meat, poultry, and other USDA-regulated food products. Consumers should expect – and demand – that these vacancies be filled in early 2010. Contact the White House and ask President Obama to nominate individuals for the two undersecretary and general counsel positions.
Health Reform Uncertainties Thursday, January 21, 2010
Posted by savvyconsumer in National Consumers League, Sally Greenberg, health, legislative issues.Tags: health care reform, Sen. Edward Kennedy
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The election of Senator Kennedy’s successor has led to numerous discussions about the future of health reform, but advocates are encouraging Members of Congress—from both sides of the aisle—to keep their eyes on the prize.
“We need to put partisan concerns aside and work NOW to ensure that the system is reformed. The cost of doing nothing is unthinkable,” said NCL Executive Director Sally Greenberg.
Senator Kennedy, who lost his battle with cancer last summer, was a friend of consumers and workers; Senator Kennedy called upon the Obama Administration to reinstate the White House Office of Consumer Affairs and was a champion of workers, fighting tirelessly for minimum wage increases for working families and health care for all. In his honor and in the spirit and history of the League, NCL is committed to reforming a system to ensure that “everyone has access to affordable health care or the system will remain broken.”
For decades, NCL has been dedicated to achieving quality improvements to America’s health care system. In the 1930s, NCL’s Josephine Roche authored the first universal health care proposal and today, NCL is at the forefront of advocating for comprehensive health reform with legislation that is patient-centered and cost-efficient.
NCL encourages law makers on either side of the aisle to remember what this debate is about – improving the access to and quality of health care in America, for all Americans, addressing why we are overpaying for care that is not making us healthier.
Welcome to Washington, Dr. Benjamin Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Posted by savvyconsumer in National Consumers League, health.Tags: Regina Benjamin
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NCL is pleased to welcome the newly confirmed Surgeon General to town. Dr. Regina Benjamin was sworn into her role as the medical and public health spokesperson for the country, but not without controversy.
Dr. Benjamin brings with her years of experience working for low-income, rural populations, working to improve access to care for many underserved populations, and breaking down barriers along the way – as a woman, as a minority, but also as someone who struggles with her weight. Dr. Benjamin’s response to the criticism, however, has been wonderful.
In a recent interview on Good Morning America, Dr. Benjamin offered that “health and being healthy and being fit is not about a dress size.” She continued, “it’s about how fit you are at a moment in time. I’m just like 67 percent of Americans. I struggle with my weight just like they do, so I understand. I want to have them help me and I will help them and we’ll work together to try and become a healthier nation.”
We look forward to working with Dr. Benjamin and her office as we work to become a healthier nation.
Ensuring Toy Safety an International Effort Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Posted by savvyconsumer in Sally Greenberg, toy safety.add a comment
By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director
Last week I arrived in the United States, back from a trip to Hong Kong, which became a whirlwind tour of airports and hotels that – because of a tight schedule – I had to fit into 3.5 days. Why would I travel so far for such a short time? Because the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group, together with the Toy Industry of America (TIA), was holding a conference on toy safety, and TIA wanted very much to have an American consumer organization present at the meeting. Several of my former Consumers Union (CU) colleagues, who couldn’t make the trip, suggested to TIA that they invite me because of my past work on product safety and toy safety at CU.
NCL's Sally Greenberg with Toys"R"Us CEO Gerald Storch at a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Hong Kong.
As intense as the itinerary was, the trip turned out to be very worthwhile for several reasons. First, this is a time of enormous tumult in the toy industry world. It was only two years ago that a crisis erupted as lead levels in toys imported from China were found to be far beyond legal limits. One 4-year-old boy in Minnesota actually died from lead poisoning when he swallowed a lead-laden charm from a bracelet attached to a Reebok shoe. I was able to reflect on the role consumer groups had played in bringing to public attention the dangers of lead and other heavy metals in children’s toys.
Secondly, I was able to discuss the important role consumer groups can and should play in the setting of safety standards. We also tipped our hat to the TIA because it sought active consumer participation in reforming the way toys are tested by third-party companies before being allowed to be imported into the United States. The rules are complicated and took months to develop— with consumer input throughout the process—but TIA’s Toy Safety Certification Program was adopted as a result.
Lastly, I had the chance to interact with a number of leaders in the toy industry, including CEO of Toys“R”Us, Gerald Storch, who gave an inspiring and important speech, underscoring that he and Toys“R”Us, as retailers, represent the interests of consumers. He insists on ensuring, through independent testing, that toys imported into the hundreds of his company’s retail stores in the United States and abroad meet the highest standards for safety.
The enactment of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2009 (CPSIA) is a watershed event for the safety of all consumer products and has changed the way the whole world looks at the regulation of lead and other heavy metals in toys. As I participated in this conference, I began to appreciate how important it was to have an American consumer perspective, especially given the passage of this landmark legislation last year.
