FitSugar

The Craziest Recall of 2007: Pet Food

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 02:30:00 PST

I don't know what happened exactly in 2007 but we saw an explosion (literally in some cases) of botulism and e.coli being found in foods. This along with lead being found in toys, we were all left to wonder if anything was safe.

Turns out, nothing was safe from a recall in 2007. From baby food, to beef, to contact solution, to millions and millions of toys, recalls were all the rage this year. Nothing, however, compared to the pet food recalls that took the lives of our favorite furry friends, our pets. This is why you all voted the pet food recall as the craziest recall of 2007 and I have to say, I totally agree. My thoughts go out to anyone who lost a pet due to the tainted pet food and let's hope no one has to go through something like that ever again.

Here's to hoping the recall frenzy calms down in 2008.

Source

E.Coli Testing Kit: A Germ-A-Phobe's Best Friend

FitSugar — Tue, 15 May 2007 08:45:00 PDT

Food recalls seem to be at an all time high this year. From peanut butter to Listerine to pet food, nothing seems to be safe anymore. So while we wait for the FDA to get a handle on the situation, you may want to take matters into your own hands...

The MMS Safe Strips Food Testing Kit ($19.95) contains: Two E.coli test strips, two Salmonella test strips, a bottle of buffer solution and instructions on how to do it. Basically users will be mixing food with distilled water and buffer solution, preferably in a blender. The salmonella test strip produces results in thirty minutes, while the E.coli test takes an hour, so make sure you give it some time before digging in. Buy it from FoodTestingStrips.com.

Fit's Tip: While I think that testing everything you eat may be a bit excessive, even for me, you may want to consider taking a kit along while traveling or think about keeping it around the house in case another spinach recall hits the fan.

Enough With the Pet Food Recalls Already!!

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:45:00 PDT

I really can't take much more of this. The recent pet food recall from Menu Foods was so sad, with all those poor cats and dogs getting sick and passing away. It looks like bad wheat gluten wasn't the only problem. The FDA announced that ANOTHER ingredient - rice protein concentrate - was also contaminated. This time the industrial chemical melamine is the culprit.

A different brand is affected this time, so listen up: a variety of Natural Balance Pet Foods products for both dogs and cats is being recalled.

If you use Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice canned or bagged dog food, Venison and Brown Rice dog treats, or Venison and Green Pea dry cat food - STOP USING THEM IMMEDIATELY!!

Fit's Tips: Here's a list of all the brands that have been recalled. If you are unsure about what to feed your hungry pet, talk to your veterinarian.

Pet Food Recall Update - Was it Rat Poison???

FitSugar — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:15:00 PDT

Remember the Pet Food Recall I told you about? They thought it was contaminated wheat gluten that was causing cats and dogs to die of kidney failure.

Scientists at a food laboratory in Albany, NY found rat poison in the pet food they tested.

This poison known as aminopterin actually isn't legal to use in the U.S. for killing rodents, although it is used as a cancer drug because it inhibits the growth of malignant cells. It is highly toxic if taken in high doses, and for small animals like cats and dogs, it can cause kidney failure.

The rat poison could have been used on wheat imported from China, and that's why it was thought that the contaminated wheat gluten was the culprit.

Fit's Tips: So far 15 cats and 1 dog have died from kidney failure due to eating pet food manufactured by Menu Foods. If this pet food recall is news to you, check to see if your pet food is on this list.

10 Things Worth Paying More For

Bundle — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:15:34 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart Bundle story here on Savvy!

It is better to save, than it is to spend - that's usually a winning (and smart!) mantra to live by. But there are actually some things that are worth the extra dollars in cost. Here are 10 of them.

Service. Consumers like to complain about the terrible service they get from certain companies - cell phone and cable TV providers, for example, or dry cleaners and tailors. Ever have to fight with customer service on the phone over a dispute on your cell phone bill? Ever pick up a pair of pants from the tailor only to later discover that your hemlines were uneven? Had a bad haircut? It's worth it to pay more for quality service. People who are skilled in their craft generally charge more for their expertise, and people are willing to pay for a good experience - especially if that means having a bad experience that the service provider is willing to quickly make right for you for free. That's priceless.
Direct flights. We're used to going onto sites like expedia.com or kayak.com to find the cheapest airfare for wherever we want to go, but it's often worth it to pay the extra money for a direct flight. Not only do you avoid the hassle of having to transfer planes at a layover, you save the precious time you could be spending more efficiently at your destination. I'd pay $50 or $100 more for a flight in a heartbeat if that means six extra hours with my family and friends during the holidays instead of snacking on overpriced airport food in the middle of nowhere waiting to get on the second leg of a flight.
Closet basics. There's absolutely no reason you should spend $200 on a pair of designer jeans. But a good, durable pair of jeans from a retailer like Levi's, which produces them for around $50, can last much longer than cheaper brands from big box stores. The key word here is basics: You don't want to spend a lot on whatever is "in" now, but stuff that you can wear no matter what year it is: A nice suit that will work for both a job interview or a wedding. A nice pair of shoes that can be dressed up or down. A white dress shirt you can wear to work or a night out. One nice coat to get you through many many winters. Spending money on quality basics means you'll have things to wear for a long time without ever going out of style, and that actually saves money in the long run.