2025 Consumer Product Lawsuits and Safety Alerts

Key takeaways

• Public Health Alert Issued: The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a health alert for 16-oz. packages of pork carnitas sold at Aldi, potentially contaminated with metal fragments due to damaged processing equipment.

• Product Details and Risk: Affected products were produced on April 1–2, 2025, with "USE BY" dates of 06/30/2025 or 07/01/2025, and marked with "Est. 46049." While no injuries have been reported, FSIS urges consumers not to eat the product and to discard or return it.

• Consumer Guidance: Though the items are no longer sold in stores, they may still be in home freezers. Concerned consumers should contact a healthcare provider if necessary, and questions can be directed to Cargill’s hotline or the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline.

The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued a public health alert for consumers who may have purchased pork carnitas products that may be contaminated with foreign material, specifically pieces of metal. 

FSIS did not request a recall because this product is no longer available for sale in commerce. However, the agency is concerned that it may still be in consumers’ freezers.

The fully cooked pork carnitas products were produced from April 1-2, 2025. The following products are subject to the public health alert:

• 16-oz. sleeved tray packages containing "Pork Carnitas SEASONED & SEARED PORK WITH JUICES SLOW COOKED WITH CITRUS" with "USE BY" dates "06/30/2025" or "07/01/2025" printed on the side of the packaging.

• The products subject to the public health alert bear the establishment number "Est. 46049" inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to Aldi supermarkets nationwide.

The problem was discovered when the establishment notified FSIS that during routine process checks that they found equipment damage that may have contaminated the carnitas products with pieces of metal.

What to do

There have been no confirmed reports of injury due to the consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an injury should contact a healthcare provider.

Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

Consumers can contact Cargill's Consumer Hotline at 1-844-419-1574.

Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov.

For consumers who need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.

Buyers of Robitussin can now apply to get money from a class-action lawsuit that began in 2022 over the cough medicine being marketed as "non-drowsy."

Consumers can get $1.50 to $4.75 per claim and need to have bought Robitussin marketed as "non-drowsy" between Feb. 16, 2016 and Jan. 21, 2025 to qualify, Top Class Actions reports.

Buyers can make up to three claims with proof of purchase, but only one claim without proof of purchase.

The deadline is April 14 and claims can be made through nondrowsyrobitussinsettlement.com.

The lawsuit alleged that Haleon, the makers of Robitussin, marketed the medicine as "non-drowsy" despite it containing dextromethorphan, a ingredient that can cause drowsiness.

Haleon didn't admit wrongdoing but agreed to pay $4.5 million to settle the lawsuit.

Here's a list of the products covered under the lawsuit:

• Robitussin 12 Hour Cough Relief Extended-Release Orange Syrups
• Robitussin Cough + Chest Congestion DM Maximum Strength Syrups
• Robitussin Cough + Chest Congestion DM Maximum Strength/Nighttime Cough DM Maximum Strength Day & Night Value Pack Syrups
• Robitussin Cough + Chest Congestion DM Maximum Strength Liquid-Filled Capsules
• Robitussin Cough + Chest Congestion DM Syrups
• Children’s Robitussin Cough & Chest Congestion DM Syrups
• Children’s Robitussin Cough & Chest Congestion DM/Nighttime Cough Long-Acting DM Day & Night Value Pack Syrups
• Robitussin Sugar-Free Cough + Chest Congestion DM Syrups
• Robitussin Honey Cough + Chest Congestion DM Maximum Strength Syrups
• Robitussin Honey Cough + Chest Congestion DM Maximum Strength/Nighttime Cough DM Maximum Strength Day & Night Value Pack Syrups
• Robitussin Elderberry Cough + Chest Congestion DM Maximum Strength Syrups
• Children’s Robitussin Elderberry Cough & Chest Congestion DM Syrups
• Robitussin Severe Multi-Symptom Cough Cold + Flu CF Maximum Strength Syrups
• Robitussin Severe Multi-Symptom Cough Cold + Flu CF Maximum Strength/Nighttime Severe Multi-Symptom Cough Cold + Flu CF Maximum Strength Day & Night Value Pack Syrups
• Robitussin Severe Cough + Sore Throat CF Maximum Strength Syrups
• Robitussin Honey Severe Cough Flu + Sore Throat CF Maximum Strength Syrups
• Robitussin Honey Severe Cough Flu + Sore Throat CF Maximum Strength/Nighttime Severe Cough Flu + Sore Throat CF Maximum Strength Day & Night Value Pack Syrups
• Robitussin Multi-Symptom Cold CF Syrups
• Children’s Robitussin Cough & Cold CF Syrups
• Robitussin Long-Acting Cough Gels Robitussin 12 Hour Cough Relief Extended-Release Grape Syrups

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued an urgent warning to consumers to immediately stop using Uomeod Mini Steamers, citing a significant risk of burn injuries.

The warning follows 49 reported incidents of hot water ejecting, spilling, or leaking from the steamers, resulting in nine burn injuries, including a severe second-degree burn sustained by a consumer in November 2023.

The Uomeod Mini Steamers, manufactured by Dongguan Esino Manufacturing Service Co. Ltd. in China, are designed to heat water and release steam for pressing textiles such as clothing and upholstery.

However, CPSC said its evaluation revealed that the steamers can dangerously eject hot water from the nozzle when overfilled. The product's instructions and warnings fail to adequately inform users of this hazard or provide guidance on how to prevent such incidents.

Despite the safety concerns, Uomeod and Dongguan Esino Manufacturing Service have not agreed to offer a satisfactory recall remedy to consumers. The steamers, available in rose gold, white, and black, were sold online on Amazon.com from December 2019 through July 2024, priced between $14 and $31.

The products are marked with "Uomeod" on the side beneath the water reservoir window, and "Uomeod," "Mini Steamer," and "Model: ZL-001" on a label at the bottom.

CPSC strongly advises consumers to stop using the Uomeod Mini Steamers immediately, cut the cord, and dispose of the products. Consumers are also urged not to sell or give away these hazardous steamers. Incidents involving these steamers or any product-related injuries can be reported at www.SaferProducts.gov.

Tom's of Maine's kids toothpaste tested for levels of lead and arsenic that triggered a class-action lawsuit.

Tom's of Maine Children's Silly Strawberry Toothpaste had 240 parts-per-billion of lead and 40 parts-per-billion of arsenic, which is 48 times and eight times above levels recommended for baby food, according to a January 2025 lab test by Lead Safe Mama, a website that tests products for toxins.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers fluroide-free toothpaste a "cosmetic," meaning it is acceptable to have up to 10,000 parts-per-billion of lead.

But scientifc recommendations in the unpassed legislation Baby Food Safety Act of 2021 sets acceptable levels at or below five parts-per-billion for lead and 10 parts-per-billion for arsenic.

"Yes, we understand toothpaste is not a food," Lead Safe Mama owner Tamara Rubin said. "But children ingest it (even toddlers) daily — several times a day at that."

Lead and arsenic can build up in a child's body and damage the brain, growth and development, among other harms.

Colgate-Palmolive, the parent company of Tom's of Maine, didn't immediately respond to ConsumerAffairs's request for comment.

"We are hoping the outcome of this initiative will be the FDA creating a new regulatory standard for Lead in toothpastes intended for use by children — a standard acknowledging the stance of all federal agencies that there is no safe level of Lead exposure for children," Rubin said.

Class-action lawsuit against Tom's of Maine

A class-action lawsuit brought by Sultzer Law Group followed the Lead Safe Mama testing that found the lead and arsenic in the Tom's of Maine toothpaste, ClassAction.org reports.

"Defendants omit from their website the extreme danger of children consuming toothpaste that has been contaminated with lead and arsenic," the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit aims to represent any consumers who bought the toothpaste in the U.S.

Sultzer Law Group attorneys on the case, Philip J. Furia and Jason P. Sultzer, can be reached via email at pfuria@thesultzerlawgroup.com and sultzerj@thesultzerlawgroup.com, respectively.

Email Dieter Holger at dholger@consumeraffairs.com.