“Blast,” Sprouts, and New Ways to Access Recall Info

18 state attorneys general blast Blast

If your mid-teenager tells you he or she had a “blast,” ask for clarification. The word is sometimes used to mean “a great time,” but now it’s also the name of an alcoholic fruit drink.  It’s a malt beer made by Pabst Brewing Co., has the full name of “Blast by Colt 45,” and comes in several flavors—grape, strawberry watermelon, and blueberry pomegranate.  Why is it in the news?   Rapper Snoop Dogg has been promoting it, and 18 state attorneys general have requested that it be taken off the market or at least not marketed to underage teens. 

Why is there so much concern about this particular drink?  The alcoholic content of Blast is 12%, compared to 4-6% for most beers.  The attorneys general say that each 23 oz. can is equal to five servings of alcohol. Also, it’s being promoted on hip-hop radio stations and concerts According to the Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler, it’s “a binge in a can” that’s being marketed primarily to African-American teens.

The Pabst response to these complaints points out that there is a 7-oz.size, the alcoholic content is clearly marked on the container, and consumers are advised to consider pouring the beverage over ice or sharing a can.

Raw sprouts—again!

Sprouts tend to get contaminated easily because they grow best in a warm, moist environment, the same environment that most bacteria love.  So now we have yet another sprouts recall.  (This site has already reported on others. Conclusion: it you can’t live without sprouts, cook them!) 

This time the recall involves Jonathans Sprouts. The company is recalling all of its alfalfa sprouts, conventional and organic, because of the risk of salmonella contamination. They were distributed in 8 Eastern states. To read more about this recall, click here.

Easier Ways to Follow Food Recalls

Some food recalls become big news, and everyone hears about them. Others come along, just about daily, and don’t get much media coverage.  If they affect your area, they may be mentioned on the local TV news, but if you don’t listen to that, you may never know.  If you or someone you’re grocery shopping or cooking for is a young child, a senior, on a gluten-free diet, someone with a weakened immune system, or someone who has serious reactions to an allergen, you may want to follow food recalls closely.  Now the FDA has made it easier than ever to do so.

In April, the FDA launched its new Web search. (The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, signed into law in January 2011, called for a more consumer-friendly recall search engine.)  Here are a variety of ways you can now get recall info from your computer:

-FDA Web page:  Recalls & Safety Alerts

-FDA Consumer Update Video:  Identifying Recalled Products

-FDA photostream of recalled products on Flickr

-FDA Consumer Update:  FDA 101: Product Recalls - From First Alert to Effectiveness Checks  

-FDA Web Page:  Food Safety Modernization Act

-FoodSafety.gov Web Page:  Food Recalls and Alerts

For more information about this new government initiative to keep consumers better informed, click here. 

Source(s):

csmonitor.com “Blast, a fruity Pabst drink, gets scrutiny….”
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0422/Blast-a-fruity-Pabst-drink-gets-scrutiny.-Whom-is-Snoop-Dogg-selling-it-to

cnn.com “17 attorneys general urge halt in production of controversial drink”
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-04-21/us/colt.45.blast.letter_1_marketing-general-douglas-f-gansler-legal-drinking-age?_s=PM:US

Foodsafetynews.com “Salmonella Test Prompts Sprouts Recall”
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/04/jonathans-sprouts-recalls-conventional-alfalfa-sprouts/?amp&amp

fda.gov “FDA launches consumer-friendly Web search for consumers during recalls”
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm249437.htm