CHINA-FREE
DEFINITION chi-na-free adj. A term proposed for use on food labels to show that products are not made in China.
CONTEXT In light of recent health and safety scares regarding Chinese-made food and products, a U.S.-based company called Food for Health International has announced plans to put "China-free" stickers on its goods. The subtext: These products won't make you sick or have harmful contaminants like melamine.
USAGE Given recent recalls of items from toys to toothpaste, China-free labeling could catch on, though consumers would do well to remember that not all products from China are tainted and not all tainted products are from China.
Lunch bags made in China and distributed for a program meant to encourage healthy eating are being recalled because they may contain lead, a suburban county health department says. The recall is "purely precautionary" because authorities hadn't determined how much lead the bags contain, said Nassau County Health Department spokeswoman Cynthia Brown. However, she said they had confirmed the heavy metal was present in some amount in the material used in the bags, which the Long Island county got through a federal grant.
Nassau County is recalling 169 bags given out between Oct. 11 and 18 to participants in the federal Women, Infants and Children nutrition assistance program. The insulated bags were printed with the message "fruits and veggies/more matters." A county employee happened to spot a label inside one of the bags that said the product "may contain lead," Brown said. The label also said the bags were made in China. Brown said acting Health Commissioner Abby Greenberg was informed late Monday, but it took until Thursday evening to pinpoint the bags' recipients and begin alerting them.
The county agency said it received the bags from the Produce for Better Health Foundation. The foundation said on its Web site that tests found the bags' vinyl lining contained 1,800 to 2,100 parts per million of lead, exceeding the federal limit of 600 ppm for painted products used by children. The foundation said it reported the lead finding this past week to the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Food and Drug and Administration.
In September, California officials urged consumers not to use 56,000 Chinese-made, potentially lead-tainted lunch boxes that the state Department of Public Health had distributed at health fairs and other events. Those boxes also were part of an effort to promote eating fruits and vegetables.
An Associated Press investigation published in February revealed that government testing has found high levels of lead in the vinyl lining of many children's lunch boxes. Almost every lunch box that contained lead was made in China, which has been under pressure because of the discovery of dangerous toxins in goods ranging from toys to toothpaste.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Wednesday a voluntary recall of 84,000 Hunter Fan Co. warm mist humidifiers. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. The reason for the recall is water used in the humidifier can leak into the unit's electrical compartment, posing a fire hazard. This recall involves Warm Mist CareFree humidifiers sold in white and black with blue or green tinted water tanks. "Hunter" and "NiteGlo" are printed on the humidifier. The products, made in China, have a retail cost of $40-$65. They were sold at Lowe's, Wal-Mart and other discount and hardware stores nationwide, as well as through mail order catalogs and Web retailers from September 2005 through February 2007.
Models being recalled are: 35201, 35202, 35203, 35207, 35253, 36200, 36201, 36203, 36204, 36207, 36253 and 37203.
Consumers can contact Hunter Fan at (877)288-1145 or www.hunterfan.com to receive a free replacement humidifier or refund. Based in Memphis, Hunter sells ceiling and portable fans, air purifiers, humidifiers and thermostats.
Nike Inc. is recalling 235,000 football helmet chin straps after receiving reports of head and face injuries because the straps broke, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Tuesday. The recalled football helmet chin strap was made in China and was sold at sporting good stores throughout the United States from April 2006 through October 2007, the safety agency said. Consumers should stop using the chin strap immediately and contact Nike for a redeemable product voucher, it said.
Nike received 18 reports of the chin strap breaking and injuries that included two concussions, two facial cuts that required stitches and a broken nose, the safety agency said. The chin strap consists of a plastic cup with a foam liner, straps and four metal snaps. The strap sold for about $20 and was offered in both youth and adult sizes.
The safety agency posted photographs of recalled chin strap and details on its Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08081.html.
What are you feeding your children tonight? How about a hearty helping of lead? KUTV did a follow-up on their report yesterday about lead in dinner plates. Their investigative reporter bought more plates from Walmart. After heating them to 85 degrees, the plates leached out lead at .381 parts per million. The plates were made in China. The government says that anything below 2.0 is acceptable. But unlike a toy where you're mainly just coming in skin contact with the toy, with a plate, the lead is actually seeping into the food and you're eating it. SOURCE>>
