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Lawsuits Allege High Levels of Lead in General Mills’ Cocoa Puffs Cereal
Cocoa Puffs cereal could contain dangerously high levels of lead, according to two federal lawsuits seeking millions from General Mills.
The class-action suits filed recently in Minnesota and California demand more than $5 million in damages for consumers nationwide who “would not have purchased and consumed [the cereal] had they known the truth about the products.”
According to the California suit, a one-cup serving of Cocoa Puffs contained just shy of the state’s maximum allowable limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead.
The nation’s largest cereal producer recently defeated two lawsuits claiming Cheerios contain pesticide residue. The plaintiffs in those cases voluntarily dismissed the suits this spring not long after filing them.
Nestlé Recalls Baby Cereal Because of Possible Contamination
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announces Nestlé Canada is recalling its Gerber brand oat, banana and mango baby cereal because of possible contamination with Cronobacter spp.
The CFIA recommends not consuming, selling, serving or distributing the affected product, but throwing it away or returning it to where it was purchased.
This product is available in several provinces, including Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick.
Cronobacter spp. can cause serious illness or death in babies. In children under one-year-old, the bacteria can cause fever, poor diet, excessive crying, very low energy or even seizures.
Illinois Trees and Plants Suffering Widespread Damage From Renewed Use of Decades-Old Weedkillers on Farms, Studies Show
Patsy Hirsch and her husband moved to an Elgin subdivision nearly three decades ago, drawn by a backyard thicket of oak, hickory and cherry trees so dense the canopy blotted out the sun.
During her free time, Hirsch replaced much of their lawn with native plants and grew vegetables in a sunny spot on the side of the house. She studied to become a master gardener, cultivating a network of fellow enthusiasts devoted to sustainable growing methods.
At first glance, it appears Hirsch’s property is an idyllic refuge on the edge of suburbia. But her training didn’t prepare her for an onslaught of weedkillers drifting from nearby farms and neighboring yards — a scourge spreading throughout Illinois as chemical companies revive volatile herbicides from generations past.
Trees are slowly dying after being hit for years by weedkillers. Their once-robust canopy has thinned. Many of the leaves are cupped or deformed. So are the Hirsch family’s flowers and vegetables.
Microplastics Are Everywhere, but Are They Harming Us?
Microplastics have been found in the ocean and the air, in our food and water. They have been found in a wide range of body tissues, including the heart, liver, kidneys and even testicles. But are they actually harming you?
These minuscule plastics have been detected in air, water and soil, in milk, and in bottled and tap drinking water. They also have been found in a variety of foods, including salt, sugar, honey, rice and seafood.
Researchers are still trying to understand exposure levels, but study after study is finding signs of plastics in body tissues.
“Microplastics have been measured in pretty much all of the body tissues that have been evaluated,” said Tracey Woodruff, a University of California at San Francisco researcher. Scientists have even reported finding them in the penis, in ovaries and in placentas.
It makes sense that microplastics are harmful because they contain toxic chemicals, said Woodruff, who was part of a team that reviewed nearly 2,000 studies about microplastics at the request of California legislators. It may be, for example, that microplastics play a role in rising occurrences of some cancers in younger people, she said.
Coca-Cola to Pay $6 Billion in Back Taxes and Interest to the IRS After Tax Court Ruling
Coca-Cola announced Friday it will pay $6 billion in back taxes and interest after a ruling in a case dating back nearly 20 years with the IRS.
The soda company said it plans to appeal the ruling, which was delivered in two sentences by U.S. Tax Court Judge Albert Lauber.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola said in a recent filing it would update its tax reserves if the company does not win its appeal.
Ice Cream Cake Recalled Nationwide as FDA Sets Highest Risk Level
A range of ice cream dessert cakes has been recalled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after they were found to contain a bacterium that causes food poisoning.
Maryland-based Totally Cool, Inc. is voluntarily recalling its Friendly’s Celebration Ice Cream Cake due to contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, which was confirmed after testing. The product was first recalled in June this year, and it has now been given a risk classification by the FDA.
The item has been updated to a Class I recall as of August 1, the highest risk level, which is issued when there is a “reasonable probability” that the use of or exposure to a product could “cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”
