More than four years ago, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) was presented with several proposals to improve the way the agency policed imported foods, but it ignored every one of them. Now, after several highly publicized scares involving dangerous imported food, the FDA is finally looking to Congress for more power and funding for its food safety programs.

Benjamin England, a formal FDA official, told a House Appropriations subcommittee yesterday that four years ago, the agency failed to implement hundreds of proposed solutions to specific import safety problems. Those proposals were all part of the FDA’s Strategic Import Plan formulated to deal with imported products under FDA jurisdiction. England claimed that the neglected proposals would have “enabled the FDA to begin to progressively focus its limited resources where the risks are indeed greatest.”

More FDA Missed Chance to Improve Import Food Safety Four Years Ago, Says Former Official

Topps Meat Company of New Jersey is recalling frozen beef patties after the products were linked to a cluster of E. coli cases in the Northeast. According to the New York State Health Department, at least six people might have been sickened by the tainted hamburger patties. Recalled Topps beef patties that were found in at least one victim’s freezer have tested positive for E. coli O157:H7.

The recall involves 331,582 pounds of frozen beef products. It includes 10-pound boxes of Butcher’s Best 100 Percent All Beef Patties; 10-pound boxes of Kohler Foods burgers; 10-pound boxes of Sand Castle Fine Meat; two-pound boxes of Topps 100 Percent Pure Ground Beef Hamburgers; and three pound boxes of Topps 100-percent Pure Ground Beef Hamburgers. All of the affected beef patties carry the number “EST 9748” inside the USDA inspection mark and have “Sell By” dates of either June 22, 2008 or July 23, 2008. The entire recall list can be viewed at the US Department of Agriculture Website.

More Meat Recall Issued for E. Coli-Tainted Topps Meat Company Frozen Beef Patties

Unapproved drugs, many with dangerous side effects, are being prescribed all across the country. According to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) unapproved drugs account for nearly 2% of all prescriptions written in the US. What’s worse, the FDA says that it has linked these dangerous medications to dozens of deaths in the last several years. Unfortunately, the agency does not have enough resources to pull all of these medications off the market, so for now, the FDA will only be targeting the “most dangerous” unapproved drugs.

The FDA says that thousands of drugs commonly prescribed today include unapproved ingredients. The makers of these drugs never submitted scientific data to prove their safety and effectiveness. What’s worse, most physicians – let alone patients – have no idea that some of the medications that are being prescribed have not been approved by the FDA. Shockingly, all of these unapproved drugs are listed in the Physician’s Desk Reference, the “bible” doctors regularly use when making treatment decisions.

More Unapproved Prescription Drugs Expose Thousands of Patients to Risk of Serious Injury, Death

Women of child bearing age might not know that the common prescription drugs they take could cause birth defects should they become pregnant. That’s because most doctors don’t take the time to council patients on potential drug side-effects when they prescribe medications.

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) does classify drugs according to their risks for birth defects. But a busy doctor, under pressure to see as many patients as possible, might not take the time to look up a drug’s FDA classification. A wide range of prescription drugs, including some antibiotics, acne medicines, cholesterol drugs, sleep aids and blood thinners, are known to carry a high risk of birth defects.

More Prescription Drug Birth Defect Risks Not Always Known to Women

Mattel apologized to the Chinese government last week for a round of toy recalls that have tarnished the “Made in China” label. The fact that the apology was made in-person by one of the toy giant’s top executives underscores how important China is to Mattel’s bottom line.

Last Friday, Mattel’s vice president for worldwide operations, Thomas Debrowski, met with China’s product safety head, Li Changjang in an effort to mend fences. “Mattel takes full responsibility for these recalls and apologizes personally to you, the Chinese people, and all of our customers who received the toys.”

More Mattel Toy Recalls Our Fault, Company Executive Tells China

s the American workday becomes increasingly longer, many employers look for ways to avoid paying workers the overtime pay that they deserve. But lately, some of those employees have been taking their bosses to court to recoup unpaid overtime – and many of them are winning.

According to an article in BusinessWeek magazine, some of the nation’s biggest employers, including Wal-Mart, Starbucks, IBM and Merrill Lynch, have all been sued – repeatedly- by employees forced to work well beyond 40-hours-per-week without appropriate compensation. What’s more, many of those suing are not “Blue Collar” workers who have been traditionally covered by overtime laws. Instead, stockbrokers, pharmaceutical sales representatives, IT workers and others long considered “White Collar” workers have been awarded back pay and damages by courts in unpaid overtime lawsuits.

More Unpaid Overtime Lawsuits Often Big Winners for American Workers

E. coli has sickened at least six people who ate at an Illinois restaurant earlier this month. Now, health officials in that state are asking anyone who ate at that restaurant and became ill shortly after to get in contact with them.

The Effingham County Health Department says that it has confirmed six cases of E. coli poisoning among patrons of an El Rancherito Restaurant in Effingham. All of the victims visited the restaurant between September 11 and 13, 2007. One of those infected is still in the hospital. Health officials have not been able to pinpoint the source of the E. coli in the restaurant. The Effingham County Health Department is asking other patrons of the El Rancherito Restaurant who experienced or are experiencing E. coli-type symptoms to contact the department immediately.

More Illinois E. Coli Outbreak Tied to El Rancherito Restaurant

A Houston family says a defective Simplicity crib killed their baby girl, and now they are taking the company to court. Royale Arceneaux, 7-months-old, died in her Simplicity crib last February after she became entrapped in a gap created by the crib’s faulty drop rail. Royale is one of three children known to have died in hazardous Simplicity and Graco cribs that were recalled by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) last week.

Simplicity, the maker of the cribs, recalled more than a million of them last Friday because a flaw in the design of the beds allowed them to be assembled with the drop rail upside down. When this happened, the rail could separate from the side, creating a gap where a child could become entrapped and suffocate.

More Lawsuit Filed in Simplicity Crib Recall by Family Who Says Crib Became a Deathtrap For Their Baby

Botulism is being blamed for the death of a New Mexico man, prompting health officials to renew warnings about the Castleberry’s Food Company recall of canned foods earlier this summer. Though there is no way to know for sure if one of the tainted Castleberry’s products was to blame for the man’s death, health officials said that he had eaten some of the recalled food before becoming ill. The 52-year-old man, whose identity is being withheld, was hospitalized with botulism poisoning on July 26, and died about 6 weeks later.

In July, four people in Texas and Indiana became ill after eating Castleberry’s botulism-tainted hot dog chili sauces. The outbreak ultimately forced Castleberry’s to recall over 90 varieties of canned products manufactured by its Augusta, Georgia plant. The Centers for Disease Control said that all of the individuals had eaten hot dog sauce made by the company.

More Botulism Death Reported In New Mexico, Possibly Tied to Castleberry’s Food Company Recall Earlier This Summer

Yet another pet food has been recalled over concerns that it could be tainted with Salmonella and Listeria bacteria. Bravo!, a company based in Vernon, Connecticut, is recalling some tubes of its raw poultry products for cats and dogs. The action comes only a month after another company recalled bags of dry dog food thought to be responsible for an outbreak of Salmonella poisoning that sickened dozens of people in Pennsylvania and around the country.

So far, no illnesses have been reported due to the Bravo! recall. The company issued the recall after an inspection by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) found Salmonella and Listeria bacteria at the company’s manufacturing facility. The recalled pet food can be identified by a Batch ID code on the hang tag attached to the pet food tubes. Included in the recall are: Bravo Original Formula Chicken Blend frozen raw Food, Product Numbers: 21-102, 21-105, 21-110, in 2, 5 and 10 pound tubes with Batch ID code 236; Bravo Original Formula Turkey Blend frozen raw food, Product numbers 31-102, 31-105, 31-110 in 2, 5 and 10 pound tubes with Batch ID code 236; and Bravo Basic Formula Finely Ground Chicken frozen raw food, Product Number 21-212, in a 2 pound tube with batch ID code 226. The products are sold nationwide in retail stores and through the Internet.

More Raw Pet Food Recall Issued Over Salmonella, Listeria Concerns