The FDA and the U.S. Marshals played “beat the stupid company with a sharp pointy federal stick” today by shutting down a big United Food Service warehouse (AKA Sun Hong Kai Holding Inc).

Apparently the FDA found out that United Food Service was having a regular rat fiesta at one of their warehouses. “An FDA inspection of United Food Service’s facility… revealed “an active and widespread rodent infestation, including live and dead rodents within the warehouse where food products are stored.” FDA investigators found 28 live rodents, one dead rodent, apparent rodent droppings, 26 apparent rodent gnaw holes in multiple packages of food products, rodent urine stains on food packaging and four rodent nesting sites.”

What? You mean rats aren’t the cute “cook a four course meal and help you get the babe” blue furry happy critters like I saw in Ratatouille? Damn you, Disney! You lied to me again!!

Anyhow, the FDA yanked “$700,000 worth of rice and other packaged food products”, and nuked United Food Service from orbit, just to be sure closed down that warehouse.

Here’s the link from the official FDA site.

OK, this has officially passed ridiculous and is well on its’ way to stupidville. Another set of meds has been recalled by McNeil Consumer Healthcare due to stinky packaging. Specifically, “a musty or moldy odor. The uncharacteristic odor is thought to be caused by the presence of trace amounts of a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole.”

2,4,6-tribromoanisole? Seriously? That’s the chemical’s name? They went with something that sounds like “2,4,6,8 who do we appreciate? Tribromoanisole! Tribromoanisole! Yayyyyyyy!”

Anyhow, according to Wikipedia, 2,4,6-tribromoanisole is “used as a fungicide” and is also “is one of the chemicals responsible for cork taint.”

A third cousin twice-removed of pesticides that’s also good for funkifying wine? All over the med bottles? Lovely.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare and the FDA say stay away from Tylenol® 8 Hour Caplet 50 count, Lot # BCM155 with UPC code 3 0045-0297-51 8 for the time being. If you have one of these bottles, the FDA says to “contact McNeil Consumer Healthcare, either at www.tylenol.com, or by calling 1-888-222-6036.”

Here’s the official FDA press release about this mess.

The FDA just announced that “specific bottles of LIPITOR 40 mg” are getting recalled due to a “uncharacteristic odor” with some of the bottles.

Waaaaaait a minute. Wasn’t the funky-smell thing making the rounds with the McNeil Consumer Healthcare products not too long ago? Mentioned here and again here?

The press release says “Pfizer is working closely with the bottle supplier to determine the cause of the odor problem and to rapidly address it” but the good news is that “a medical assessment has determined that the odor is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.”

Hmmm…. I’m no UPVC ninja, but the only things I know of that cause plastics to keep an odor is leaving some seriously foul material in them for a prolonged period. Usually plastic smells like… well, plastic!

Here’s the link to the official FDA recall notice.

The FTC just dropped a bomb on POM products, saying their products really don’t do anything special.

The FTC’s administrative complaint says POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice and assorted POMx supplements have a buncha’ “false and unsubstantiated claims. Specifically, the F.T.C. disagrees with claims the products will prevent or treat heart disease, prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction.”

It’s always the “erectile dysfunction” part, isn’t it? Don’t these companies know by now that putting an “erectile dysfunction” claim on a product is a big honkin’ 24-karat-gold invitation for the feds to come knocking?

Actually, that’s fairly disturbing on many levels.

Anyhow, the ugly comes with this next part… the FTC says POM “violated federal law by making deceptive disease prevention and treatment claims” and because the studies POM used “did not show heart disease benefit from use of its products” and “additional studies testing other touted benefits were allegedly not “blinded” or controlled or show POM Juice is more effective than a placebo”, the feds can now clobber POM on a as-needed-basis now.

By filing this complaint, the FTC has also summoned the FDA kraken, specifically by establishing “a proposed order that would prevent future law violations by requiring future claims to not be misleading and comply with Food and Drug Administration regulations for the claim.”

So here’s POM’s options… re-label all of their products, or kiss their flagships buh-bye.

My money is on the former.

Here’s the link to the article on Food Business News.

The FDA must have had a busy week, as they just announced another recall of another ‘roid flavored product!

A product called “Off Cycle II” is about to be completely pulled as the FDA found it “contains 3,17-keto-etiochol-triene (a synonym for ATD an aromatase inhibitor)”

Looking in the FDA’s copy & paste file, it says ATD/’roids are not good for you because you get a random selection of “decreased rate of bone maturation and growth, decreased sperm production, infertility, aggressive behavior, adrenal insufficiency, kidney failure, and liver dysfunction.” All that isn’t really a good trade just to have some 21 inch guns and abs you can polish steel with.

What’s funky about this recall is that “Off Cycle II Hardcore had been sold nationwide but was discontinued by Fizogen in July of 2009. The product was sold in bottles containing ninety (90) capsules and was manufactured exclusively for Fizogen Precision Technologies. Although the product was discontinued over a year ago, it has come to the attention of Fizogen that some online retailers may still have remaining inventory that they are offering for sale.”

Is there such a thing as “fresh” steroids? Or steroids with an expiration date?

Anyhow, here’s the link to the official FDA recall notice.

The FDA just announced they’re going to pull “dietary supplement products sold under the names Arom-X, Arom-X UTT, Arom-XL, 4-AD, and Decavol, which are marketed as Natural Testosterone Boosters and Libido Enhancers.”

The FDA found out that all these products apparently contain “1,4,6 etioallocholan-dione, also known as ATD, an aromatase inhibitor.”

So in dah vhordz uf Ahnold, ZHEY ARRRR FHULL OV STHEROIDS!! GHET TO DA CHOPPA!! AAAAAAA!!!

OK, seriously, the FDA says taking this stuff will get you totally wicked shredded isn’t good for you because you get a random selection of “decreased rate of bone maturation and growth, decreased sperm production, infertility, aggressive behavior, adrenal insufficiency, kidney failure, and liver dysfunction.” However, “Advanced Muscle Science has not received any adverse event reports nor are they aware of any adverse events associated with the use of these products.”

So buy them now if you see them toss them if you got ’em!

Here’s the link to the FDA recall notice.

Once again, another product has been found to contain Sulfoaildenafil, and once again the FDA has pulled the product off the market.

According to the official release by the FDA, “Prolatis’ is conducting a voluntary recall after being informed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that lab analysis has found Prolatis’ to contain Sulfoaildenafil, an analogue of Sildenafil, an FDA-approved drug used as treatment for male Erectile Dysfunction (ED), making Prolatis’ an unapproved drug.”

It wasn’t hard to find these guys. (No pun intended). According to the Prolatis website, “Prolatis™ was developed as a fast acting sexual performance enhancer.”

Giant red-flag-on-fire much?

Anyhow, here’s the link to the official FDA news release.

One of the most commented posts so far is the one where I listed an FDA recall from November 2009 about a product called “Stiff Nights”.

Back then, the FDA said “Stiff Nights, a product marketed as a dietary supplement for sexual enhancement, contains an ingredient that can dangerously lower blood pressure and is illegal.”

Stiff Nights got yanked pretty quickly, and everyone was upset how fast it was pulled. Well here we are in August of 2010, and guess what? Stiff Nights is now getting yanked with a bunch of others at the same time. (Would you believe me if I said no pun intended?)

Junior high humor aside, today the company that makes all these products said they are… “conducting a voluntary nationwide recall of products sold under the following names: Stiff Nights, Aziffa, Size Matters, Erex, Mojo, Hard Drive, Eyeful, Red Magic, Straight Up, Zotrex, Monster Excyte, WOW, Xaitrex, Verect, Prolatis, Xytamax, Maxyte, Libidinal, OMG, OMG45, and Zilex (with Golden Spear).”

Mojo? Isn’t that a cartoon character? And OMG? Why not LOL while you’re at it?

Anyhow, apparently, all of these products have sulfoaildenafil.

Sulfoaildenafil!

DUN DUN DUUUNNNN!!!

Sulfoaildenafil is basically sildenafil, a Viagra knockoff. And since this ingredient isn’t listed on the products, and that “the undeclared ingredient may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs such as nitroglycerin and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels”, the FDA says they all gotta’ go!

All of the products listed “with manufacture or distribution dates prior to June 17, 2010 are being recalled” even though “no illnesses or adverse effects have been reported to the company to date in connection with these products.”

Here’s the link to the official FDA recall article.