Consumer alert!

Cantaloupes bearing the Dole label and sold in the eastern U.S. and Quebec are being recalled due to possible salmonella contamination.

Dole announced the recall Friday.

Here’s what the company had to say:

RECALL OF CANTALOUPES DUE TO POTENTIAL HEALTH CONCERNS

Westlake Village, CA - Dole Fresh Fruit Company announced the recall of cantaloupes in the Eastern U.S. and Quebec due to potential health concerns. Some cantaloupes packed on January 25, 26 and 27, 2007 by an independent, third-party grower in Costa Rica have tested positive for Salmonella. Although no illnesses have been reported, Dole voluntarily has decided to recall all cantaloupes imported from Costa Rica and packed by that grower. Persons infected with Salmonella may experience a variety of symptoms and illnesses. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in more severe illnesses and potentially can be fatal. Approximately 6,104 cartons of cantaloupes were distributed to wholesalers in regions of the eastern United States and Quebec between February 5 and February 8, 2007. The cantaloupes have a light green color skin on the exterior, with orange flesh. The cantaloupes were distributed for sale in bulk in cardboard cartons, with 9, 12 or 15 cantaloupes to a carton. The recalled cartons are dark brown with “Dole Cantaloupes” in red lettering. They have a thirteen-digit number on a white tag pasted to the carton; the tenth digit is a 2. The recall is a result of a random test by the company. Consumers who have uneaten cantaloupe purchased in the eastern United States or Quebec, on or after February 5, 2007, may contact their retail store to see if the product is the recalled brand. Consumers with additional questions should contact the Dole Consumer Center at (800) 232-8888.

Two things are curious about this recall. First, it was announced by Dole, without an initial report to the federal Food & Drug Administration.

Second, cantaloupe long has been susceptible to salmonella contamination. No one really understands the source of the contamination, but it happens periodically. Yet, the government and produce distributors haven’t seen fit to warn consumers that such contamination is often a possibility when it comes to cantaloupe.

Earth’s Best Organic2 Wholesome Breakfast baby food has botulism contamination in some varieties. Learn the details.

The Federal Trade Commission settled with DirectRevenue, a firm that planted pop-up ads on the computers of folks who downloaded software.

Read about the settlement here.

The feds say there’s new evidence that some common pharmaceuticals purchased online might also contain a powerful anti-psychotic drug.

People buying drugs online should use caution, they advise.

The report of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter being contaminated with salmonella is spreading.

Here’s the Associated Press article about it:

Michigan among states affected by salmonella outbreak
ATLANTA (AP) — Consumers should throw away certain jars of Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter after the spread was linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened almost 300 people around the country, ConAgra said.
Lids of jars produced by ConAgra Foods with a product code beginning “2111” can be returned to the company for a refund, the company said.
The salmonella outbreak, which federal health officials said Wednesday has sickened 288 people in Michigan and 38 other states since August, was linked to tainted peanut butter produced by ConAgra at a plant in Sylvester, Ga. How salmonella got into peanut butter still is under investigation, said Dr. Mike Lynch, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
ConAgra officials haven’t said how much peanut butter is covered in the recall, which it called a precaution.
“We are working closely with the FDA to better understand its concerns, and we will take whatever additional measures are needed to ensure the safety, quality and wholesomeness of our products,” spokesman Chris Kircher said.
CDC officials believe the salmonella outbreak to be the nation’s first associated with peanut butter. The most cases were reported in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri.
About 20 percent of all the ill were hospitalized, and there were no deaths, Lynch said. About 85 percent of the infected people said they ate peanut butter, CDC officials said.
Salmonella infection is known each year to sicken about 40,000 people in the United States, according to the CDC. Salmonellosis, as the infection is known, kills about 600 people annually.
Symptoms can include diarrhea, fever, dehydration, abdominal pain and vomiting.
The latest outbreak began in August, with no more than two cases reported each day, CDC officials said. Only in the past few days did investigators hone in on peanut butter as a source, Lynch said.
Other states reporting cases are Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

Laundry bleach has a very distinctive strong smell of chlorine that some people like and others hate. No wonder that major bleach manufacturers like Clorox have come out with scented versions of their liquid bleach.

The company now makes “Citrus Blend,” “Fresh Meadow,” and “Mountain Fresh” scents in addition to regular bleach.

What consumers might not realize, though, is that the scented versions don’t have the cleaning power of the regular bleach because they contain less than half the amount of sodium hypochlorite — the bleaching part of the bleach.

The fine print on the bottle says “…scented bleaches contain a sodium hypochlorite concentration of 2.75%. Clorox Bleach - Regular Scent has a sodium hypochlorite concentration of 6%.”

The label for the scented versions omit the list of ingredients statement that appears on the regular version.

If the company wanted to come clean, it would explain that the chlorine in their product, both its chemical composition and its smell, tends to nullify the fragrances, so they reduce the amount in their scented versions.

It means your whites might smell better with the scented bleach, but look a little dingier.

Disney- and Spiderman-themed magnetic puzzles sold by Target, Kohl’s and Amazon.com can be hazardous to children. Some were sold as recently as last month. A recall has been issued.

A legion of about a half-million “Laugh and Learn” bunny toys, sold at major discount stores last year, have a nose that can pose a choking hazard for youngsters. Learn about the dangers.

A scam that popped up in the last couple of years apparently resurfaced around the nation in the past week, just in time for Valentine’s Day. It’s an e-mail that tries to get bank customers to participate in a contest that could win them a “$5,000 GOLD RING.”

In reality, it’s a phishing ploy designed to get your bank account information.

The e-mail, all official-looking, claims to be from a major bank and asks recipients to enter their account data by clicking on a link in the e-mail. That links to a phony log-in page where personal ID information is captured by the phishers. Investigators say the scam originated from a computer server in Korea.

Here’s an example of what the e-mail might look like, although the bank name changes as does the official logos on the e-mail. Note the bad grammar and punctuation:

Happy Valentines Day From Washington Mutual Bank!

It is Valentines Day!

This is why, we are offering you the chance to win a 5000$ GOLD RING, for only a few clicks on our website. As you follow the link below, to update your account, you will be automaticly added to our contest. There is no fee, and no risk. All you have to do is fill in the form, and there you are. The draw for a winner will take place on 24 February, and the winner will receive a phonecall (and email) to confirm the prize. So show your half how much you love him/her! A 5000$ GOLD RING, can be yours … for just a few clicks.

Another Great WAMU Campaign!

In order to confirm your Online Bank records, we may require some specific information from you.

Please follow the link below and renew your account information:

Some Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter is contaminated with salmonella. Details are still a bit sketchy, but you can read a Food and Drug Administration warning here.

Do you have a fairly common last name and stay in hotels a lot?

You might be targeted by scammers out to steal your credit card data.

Here’s how it works:

Scammers call a hotel and ask to speak to Mr. Smith or Mr. Jones on the chance that someone with that last name is staying there. If they’re connected to a room with such a guest, they pretend to be calling from the front desk.

“We’re having a problem with billing authorization on your credit card,” they’ll say. “Could we double check the number and expiration date of the card you used at check-in?”

Some even will ask for the card’s three-digit security code.

Then they either sell the credit card information or use it to run up thousands in purchases.

Lodging experts say if you’re ever in doubt about a request for information over your hotel room phone, just visit the front desk in person to make sure.

For other hotel security tips, visit www.crimedoctor.com/hotel.htm.

The Better Business Bureau, an agency dedicated to serving businesses and consumers, said Tuesday a scam that includes a computer virus is borrowing on the credibility of the BBB name to infect computers at homes and businesses nationwide.

Take a look at the alert.

Toddler jackets imported from China that bear the Carter’s brand have unhealthy levels of lead.

Take heed of this warning.

About a quarter-million Fly Wheels toys have lithium-ion batteries that can catch fire when they are being recharged — and they HAVE caught fire.

Read about the dangers and the recall.

Some forms of Wild Kitty Cat Food, sold nationally, are tainted with salmonella.

Your cat could get sick from it and, in turn, make you sick.

Read about it in this Food and Drug Administration alert.