Current Events in April 2015

Conway Import Co., is recalling Conway Organic Sesame Ginger Dressing and Conway Citrus Organic Vinaigrette Dressing.

The products may be contaminated with Salmonella.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

The following products, distributed in Illinois, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Texas, and packed in plastic gallon jars with the manufacturing code printed on the top of the cap and the cardboard shipping container, are being recalled:

• Conway Organic Sesame Ginger Dressing Recipe Code N-22; MFG.CODE DATE: 28814....363014....030015....051015
• Conway Citrus Organic Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe Code L-18; MFG.CODE DATE: 276014....337014

Consumers with questions may contact Conway Import at 847-455-5600.

Recently my cousin and his family came for a visit and we encamped his two pre-teen daughters in the living room, with inflatable beds and sleeping bags.

I prepared to give the girls a primer on the TV remote control and a tour of our cable channels but I noticed a decided lack of interest on their part.

“Do you guys want to watch TV?” I asked.

“No,” they replied in unison, not once looking up from their smartphones. Indeed, the TV remained off all weekend.

Emerging trend

What I witnessed in my living room is fairly typical, according to new research from Accenture. In its study of consumer trends, the company found the television set was the only digital product category to see uniform, double-digit usage declines among viewers in most age groups.

Increasingly, consumers are turning off TV and replacing their sets with a combination of laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones when they want to view video content, what we so quaintly referred to in the past as “watch television.”

Young viewers seem to be abandoning television the fastest. The study found 14- to 17-year-olds are dropping TV at the rate of 33% for movies and television shows and 26% for sporting events.

The decline continues for older demographics until it flattens out for those 55 and older. But even among Baby Boomers, the trend is moving away from TV.

Pendulum shift

”We are seeing a definitive pendulum shift away from traditional TV viewing,” said Gavin Mann, Accenture’s global broadcast industry lead. “TV shows and movies are now a viewing staple on mobile devices of all shapes and sizes, thanks to improved streaming and longer battery life. The second screen viewing experience is where the content creators, broadcasters and programmers will succeed or fail.”

Streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and the TV broadcast networks’ own streaming platforms, allow viewers to watch what they want, when they want. Increasingly, they are doing so. In industry jargon it's called “over the top content,” and more is emerging all the time.

Now you don’t have to subscribe to cable TV to get HBO. The company has just launched HBO Now, promising “instant access to all of HBO” on your streaming device on a subscription basis. It's marketing slogan says “all you need is the Internet.”

Previously consumers had to subscribe to cable – and with a significant package at that -- for the ability to add premium channels like HBO.

Room for improvement

While anytime, anywhere viewing is becoming mainstream, consumers are not completely satisfied with the viewing experience so far. For the most part, complaints are about the Internet service delivering the programming.

More than half the people in the survey who said they watch streaming content complained about buffering and other technical issues, as well as advertising placement.

Accenture’s take? Content producers – notably the broadcast networks – are still in a favorable position but will have to improve delivery as well as keep content to the standards consumers expect.

“Understanding consumers and ensuring decision-making is centered on consumer insights will be increasingly key to success,” said Mann. “The future leaders in media and entertainment will be those who listen to the audience and can tailor their content and services to this new reality.”

An outbreak of H5N2 avian, or bird flu, spread quickly this week through poultry operations in the upper Midwest, resulting in the deaths of millions of bird, potentially affecting supplies and prices for consumers.

The disease was discovered in poultry operations in Osceola County, Iowa, a major egg-producing region. Hen losses have been estimated at 5.3 million.

The impact on egg prices is unclear. Bloomberg News reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture had earlier projected an increase in 2015 egg production and a decline in prices from last year. So it is possible consumers will notice no increase in prices.

Turkeys

Earlier, in neighboring Minnesota, bird flu swept through at least 28 turkey-producing farms. Turkey losses are estimated at 1.7 million.

The impact was severe enough that Hormel Foods, a publicly traded company, warned it would likely be felt when the company reported its quarterly earnings.

“We are experiencing significant challenges in our turkey supply chain due to the recent HPAI outbreaks in Minnesota and Wisconsin,” said Jeffrey Ettinger, chairman and CEO of Hormel Foods.

Ettinger said he expects the outbreaks will subside as the weather improves but in the short term Hormel will face “turkey supply challenges.”

Hormel said its Jennie-O Turkey Store is managing the outbreak in cooperation with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and state agency officials. The company said all flocks are tested for influenza prior to processing and no birds diagnosed with HPAI are allowed to enter the food chain.

Little risk for humans

According to health officials, the outbreak is an economic issue at this point, not a public health problem.

“The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Iowa Department of Public Health considers the risk to people from these HPAI H5 infections in wild birds, backyard flocks and commercial poultry, to be low,” the Iowa Department of Agriculture said in a statement. “No human infections with the virus have ever been detected.”

Still, consumers should err on the side of caution. The department notes these virus strains can travel in wild birds without those birds appearing sick. People should avoid contact with sick or dead poultry or wildlife. If contact occurs, you should wash your hands with soap and water and change clothing before having any contact with healthy domestic poultry and birds.

Bird owners – whether commercial producers or backyard flock owners – are being advised to prevent contact between their birds and wild birds. When birds appear sick or die suddenly, it should be reported to state or federal agriculture officials.

Other strains

There are several strains of bird flu. Earlier this month the avian A strain H7N9 was confirmed in areas near China's border with Myanmar. Like other strains of bird flu, it can be passed from bird to humans but not from human to human.

The World Health Organization has called H7N9 an unusually dangerous virus for humans, with about 30% of people who get it dying.

Hotels always look great on their websites. The rooms are sparkling, the beds are clean, the floors are dry and there are no nasty little vermin crawling around biting people.

But that's not always the reality, as Danielle tells us she found when she spent a few nights at the Clinton Hotel in Miami's South Beach neighborhood. 

It sounds like Expedia did what it could to help Danielle and her friend but the overall experience still left a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, that's the case with many online reservations.

While we don't hear about too many leaking toilets, Expedia gets more than its share of complaints about duplicate reservations, lost reservations and prices that seem to change without notice.

In many cases, consumers think they're shopping around only to learn they've made a reservation. That's what happened to Julie of Flushing, Mich.

"Thought I was checking for availability and the reservation was made. I called within one minute of realizing my mistake and was given the runaround. Asked agent to cancel the reservation, which he told me he did, but the refund on my debit card would take two weeks," Julie said.

Aleksandra had the changing-price experience. "I tried booking 2 separate all inclusive packages. Expedia's web showed a price per booking which we were interested and booked 1 room, however when finishing 2nd booking, the price changed increased 3 times (by over $300.00) in the matter of seconds," she said.

Wrong rupee

But perhaps the most unusual price-changing complaint comes from Sam of Pelawatte, Sri Lanka.

"I went to the Expedia url page. I was quoted a price in Rps (rupees) which was very reasonable," Sam said. "I booked the hotel room only to discover that the Rps price was not in Sri Lankan Rps (as I was in Sri Lanka) but in twice as expensive Rps of India. It was a non-refundable price but when I called customer service they could not understand the confusion. They were totally unhelpful. Most sites distinguish Indian Rps as INRPS but not Expedia."

Blue Bell Ice Cream of Brenham, Texas, is recalling all of its products currently on the market made at all of its facilities -- including ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet and frozen snacks.

The products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Five patients were treated in Kansas and 3 in Texas after testing positive for Listeria.

The recalled products sold at retail outlets -- including food service accounts, convenience stores and supermarkets -- in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wyoming and international locations.

The decision to expand the recall resulted from findings from an enhanced sampling program which revealed that Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream half gallons produced on March 17, 2015, and March 27, 2015, contained the bacteria.  

Nissan North America is recalling 45,000 model year 2006 Sentras manufactured January 2, 2006, to August 26, 2006, originally sold, or currently registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity.

Specifically, vehicles sold, or currently registered, in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Florida and adjacent counties in southern Georgia, as well as the coastal areas of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas are being recalled.

Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, with metal fragments striking and potentially seriously injuring the vehicle occupants.

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.  

Schnuck Markets of St. Louis, Mo., is recalling its Chef’s Express California Pasta Salad.

The product may be contaminated with Salmonella.

No illnesses related to the consumption of this product have been reported to date.

The product was sold in 99 Schnuck stores Deli/Chef’s Express departments April 2 – April 14, 2015 in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa.

The product was labeled “Chef’s Express California Pasta Salad” and sold by weight through the company’s Deli/Chef’s Express departments.

Customers may return any unused portion to their nearest store for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact the Schnuck consumer affairs department Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 314-994-4400 or 1-800-264-4400.

Whole Foods Market is recalling packaged raw macadamia nuts.

The product may be contaminated with Salmonella.

No illnesses have been reported to-date.

The recalled product, labeled as “Whole Foods Market Raw Macadamia Nuts,” was packaged in 11-oz. plastic tubs with a best-by date of Feb. 4, 2016, and a UPC code of 7695862059-1.

The nuts were sold in Whole Foods Market Stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.

Customers who purchased this product should discard it and bring in their receipt for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact Whole Foods Market customer service at 512-477-5566, ext. 20060 Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm CDT.

Our story last week about ways to reduce the growing number of unwanted telemarketer calls to cell phone numbers triggered a lot of response from readers. No surprise there since hatred of telemarketers seems to be a universal bond.

Several used our story as a jumping-off point to talk in the comments section about telemarketers in general and trade ideas for dealing with them. We thought some of the discussion was worthy of passing along.

Going on the offensive

A reader named Greg says his answer to telemarketers is to go on the offensive. He says you have to let your creativity flow.

“Start by asking if they were raised by a good family who taught them right from wrong, and if so why are they knowingly working for a criminal organization” he writes.

Other times he says he tells them he works for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). If it sounds like Greg spends a lot more time talking to telemarketers than most people want to do, he does. But he says there’s a point to that.

“Sometimes I just taunt them endlessly, telling them that it's my sole purpose to simply waste as much of their time as I possibly can,” Greg writes. “They usually get all arrogant and snotty until they realize they ARE in fact getting played the longer they stay on the phone.”

Engaging telemarketers is a common tactic. A retired Baptist minister listens patiently to any telephone pitch, then asks if he can talk with the caller about his or her personal relationship with Jesus. The elderly gentleman says he is rarely called twice by the same telemarketer.

Do Not Call list

The assumption of many readers posting comments is the FTC’s Do Not Call list “doesn’t work.” Otherwise, why would they be getting so many calls? A reader named Larry set them straight.

“Any organization that is out to scam you will simply ignore the Do Not Call List and there is nothing the FTC can do about it,” Larry writes.

Exactly. Scammers out to steal your money usually operate outside U.S. borders and have nothing to fear from the FTC. But legitimate U.S.-based businesses have to respect the Telemarketing Sales Rule or face potential sanctions. Registering your number won’t stop all the calls but will reduce them.

Bad idea?

David pointed out that if you listen to the end of a telemarketer’s call, it will ask you to press a number if you want to be taken off that particular caller’s list. But Joel responded that would be a mistake.

“This alerts the caller it’s a real number and somebody will answer it and resells your number to hundreds of other scam artists,” Joel warns.

A reader named Earl suggests making telemarketing a capital crime, suggesting any candidate making that a plank in his or her platform would win in a landslide.

Things to keep in mind

Here are a few points our readers need to keep in mind. Even if your number is on the Do Not Call list, charities, political organizations and pollsters are allowed to call. Also, if you have initiated contact with a business, it is allowed to follow up with telemarketing calls for 18 months after your last purchase, payment of delivery.

Engaging with a telemarketer who is an obvious scammer might sound fun but might not be a good idea. There’s no need to antagonize a criminal. As for pranking a legitimate telemarketer, let’s face it, not everyone is Jerry Seinfeld.

When calls come in from people you don’t want to talk to, simply hang up. If you have Caller ID and the number is blocked or is unfamiliar, just let it go to voicemail. Sooner or later, they’ll take the hint.

The subject of food is packed with emotion these days. A growing number of consumers have strong feelings about what they eat, where it comes from and how it is raised.

Considering that, it might not be surprising that genetically modified food, or food containing genetically modified organisms (GMO), has evoked a lot of heated debate.

The U.S. government is stepping in to stake out its official position in this dispute that increasingly is taking on political overtones – of small natural and organic growers against large agricultural and processing enterprises. The federal information website, USA.gov, has issued a fact sheet on the government’s official position.

Here are some of the key points it contains:

Transferring genes

First, what happens when food is genetically engineered? It’s a scientific method in which the DNA genes of one organism are transferred to another organism.

That’s done to make crops grow better, but also to enhance flavor or extend shelf life. It might also make plants heartier, able to withstand longer periods of drought. It may also make food more resistant to insects, reducing the need for pesticides.

Growers and food manufacturers tend to like GMOs, introduced to the market in the 1990s, for economic reasons. Fewer crops are lost to insects, extreme weather and spoilage.

Taking exception

Food activists, in general, highly disapprove of GMOs. For example, a group called the Non GMO Project claims none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit touted by proponents.

The group also cites what it calls “a growing body of evidence” linking GMOs with health problems. But the government fact sheet says the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates and evaluates genetically modified food and hasn’t found any health issues in the genetically modified food currently available.

The agency assesses whether the genetically modified food is toxic or contains allergens, has generally the same nutritional value as traditionally-grown food, or might have long-term health effects. It analyzed its findings to determine if the food complies with safety laws.

Labels

The argument has now shifted to disclosure. Does a consumer have the right to know if the food item he or she purchases contains GMOs?

Food activists say yes and have pushed for legislation at the state level to require that information on food labels. The Center for Food Safety, an environmental advocacy organization, reports lawmakers in 30 states have introduced legislation requiring food labels to inform consumers if a product contains GMOs, or outlaw them altogether.

The food industry has pushed back. In Congress, bipartisan sponsors have introduced GMO labeling legislation that would preempt state attempts to regulate GMOs.

In late March Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) and Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) introduced a measure to created a voluntary federal labeling standard.

Satellite and cable TV providers could give Congress a run for its money in the public disdain department. Just about everything they do annoys consumers, putting the TV subscription and Internet service business a slot or two below airlines in the public estimation.  

DISH Network is certainly no exception. Consumers complain about everything from reliability to fees to contract terms to program selection. The signal fails when it rains (and even when it's sunny), they say. Fees are higher than expected and contracts seem to run forever.

And as for the channel line-ups, there've been several near-uprisings over the last year or so, when DISH booted channels from Fox, CNN and others in contract disputes. Some of the channels returned, some didn't.

But while we can all live without news and old movies, baseball is another matter. Fans who signed up for DISH and other providers often think they'll get to see all of their favorite team's schedule but it doesn't always work out that way.

Take Jay of Cartersville, Ga., a Braves fan. He filed this video review:

It's not just the Braves. Joel of Bangor, Pa., thought he'd get all the Pirates games but it didn't turn out that way.

"I switched from DirecTv to DISH Network as part of a package deal from my phone company. I asked and was told that there would be no problem getting Pittsburgh Pirate baseball," Joel said. "I was not able to get the games and was told they were blacked out. However, a neighbor down the road was able to get those games on DirecTv so they were not blacked out."

Joel switched back to DirecTV and now faces a $440 contract termination charge from DISH.

DISH is not alone, of course. All the TV subscription services generate similar complaints. Take Comcast, for example. 

"I have 'basic cable.' I used to get the Red Sox baseball games and the local news on basic cable," said Richard of Groveland, Mass. "Xfinity changed that so all I get with 'basic cable' is a bunch of Spanish channels, two Boston channels, and a bunch of PBS stations. I can no longer get Red Sox baseball or the New England Patriots football."

The only way to avoid situations like this is to read the contract very carefully before signing it, while ignoring whatever the salesperson is telling you. In most cases, cable and satellite companies have the option to add and drop channels as they see fit. And sometimes, upstream changes in licensing leave them no choice. 

Over the weekend, researchers at the FireEye cybersecurity firm announced their discovery of zero-day flaws in Adobe Flash and Microsoft Windows, flaws apparently exploited by hackers from a Russian espionage campaign in order to spy on American defense contractors, NATO officials and diplomats, and others in whom Russia's government might take a particular interest.

FireEye nicknamed the campaign “Operation RussianDoll,” and refers to the hackers behind it as Advanced Persistent Threat 28, or APT 28. The official designations for the zero-day flaws themselves are CVE-2015-3043 for Adobe, and CVE-2015-1701 for Microsoft.

On April 18, when it made the announcement, FireEye said Adobe had already independently patched its security hole, and that “While there is not yet a patch available for the Windows vulnerability, updating Adobe Flash to the latest version will render this in-the-wild exploit innocuous. We have only seen CVE-2015-1701 in use in conjunction with the Adobe Flash exploit for CVE-2015-3043.” Windows 8 and later versions are not affected by the flaw.

It's suspected that the APT 28 hackers are connected to or associated with the hackers who breached the State Department and White House computers last year.

The RussianDoll zero-day attacks started April 13 and are still ongoing.

“Zero-day” is tech-speak for any threat that exploits a previously unknown vulnerability, so zero days pass between the discovery of the vulnerability, and the discovery of the attack. (Imagine a homeowner saying “I had no idea that back door even existed – until I discovered burglars walking through it and stealing my stuff.” The back door was a zero-day flaw, the burglary a zero-day exploit.)

Neither U.S. nor Russian government officials have commented on FireEye's announcements yet.

A closely watched economic prognosticating tool is suggesting continued economic growth, although at a slower pace.

The Conference Board says its Leading Economic Index (LEI) was up 0.2% last month following modest gains dating back to December.

“Although the leading economic index still points to a moderate expansion in economic activity, its slowing growth rate over recent months suggests weaker growth may be ahead,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Economist at The Conference Board. “Building permits was the weakest component this month, but average working hours and manufacturing new orders have also slowed the LEI’s growth over the last six months.”

The 10 components of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index:

1. Average weekly hours, manufacturing
2. Average weekly initial claims for unemployment insurance
3. Manufacturers’ new orders, consumer goods and materials
4. Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Index of New Orders
5. Manufacturers' new orders, nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft orders
6. Building permits, new private housing units
7. Stock prices, 500 common stocks
8. Leading Credit Index
9. Interest rate spread, 10-year Treasury bonds less federal funds
10. Average consumer expectations for business conditions

The dog flu is reaching epidemic proportions and now has crossed state lines. Originally Chicago was the city hit the hardest but it has spread across the state and now it has infiltrated into neighboring Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana.  The concern that is the virus is a different strain than originally reported.

The Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Lab identified the strain as H3N2, not H3N8 as previously thought. The virus has affected at least 1,000 dogs in all four states. If your dog was inoculated it's possible that the vaccine will not be effective because it is for a totally different strain. 

Although the strains are different symptoms remain the same with coughing and sneezing, runny nose and a fever. It is still recommended to get the vaccine because it may provide protection if the other strain is still circulating said Keith Poulsen from the UW veterinary school.

There is no evidence that this virus will be contagious to humans but the  H3N2 is contagious to cats.

Asian import

According to Myfoxchicago.com this new strain likely came from Asia and worked its way into the U.S. There is a small window of time that the dogs are contagious with the virus. So the dog must have hopped a plane on a trip from Asia to the U.S.

It was scientists at Cornell University that discovered we were blaming the wrong strain of virus. This is the first time H3N2 has been identified in North America. The last outbreak of the strain occurred in China and South Korea.

At this moment there haven't been any reports of any cats getting the virus but H3N2 can be transmitted from dogs to cats, but whether cats can transmit it to another animal is not known. 

To help prevent the virus from spreading it has been recommended to stay away from dog parks, boarding facilities and groomers.

B & R Meat Processing of Winslow, Ark., is recalling approximately 2,129 pounds of pork products.

A possible processing deviation may have led to staphylococcal enterotoxin contamination.

There are no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

The following cured and uncured pork items, produced between August 7, 2014, and April 1, 2015, are being recalled:

• 1-lb. cryovac packages of “B & R MEAT PROCESSING CURED HAM PORK SAUSAGE.”
• 1-lb. cryovac packages of “B & R MEAT PROCESSING CURED PORK CANADIAN BACON.”
• 1-lb. cryovac packages of B & R MEAT PROCESSING CURED RATTLESNAKE PORK.”
• 1 to 2-lb. cryovac packages of “B & R MEAT PROCESSING CURED HAM PORK.”
• 0.5 to 1-lb. cryovac packages of “B & R MEAT PROCESSING CURED PORK JOWLS.”
• 1-lb. cryovac packages B & R MEAT PROCESSING CURED AR PORK BACON.”
• 1-lb. cryovac packages of “B & R MEAT PROCESSING UNCURED SMOKED PORK BACON.”
• 0.5 to 1-lb cryovac packages of “B&R MEAT PROCESSING SMOKED PORK JOWLS.”
• 0.5 to 1-lb cryovac packages of “B&R MEAT PROCESSING PORK HOCKS.”
• 1-lb cryovac packages of “B&R MEAT PROCESSING UNCURED PORK CANADIAN BACON.”
• 1-lb cryovac packages of “B&R MEAT PROCESSING CURED BACON PORK”
• 1 to 2-lb cryovac packages of “B&R MEAT PROCESSING UNCURED SMOKED PORK HAM.”
• 1 to 2-lb cryovac packages of “B&R MEAT PROCESSING UNCURED SMOKED PORK AR BACON.”

The recalled products bear the establishment number “Est. 46910” inside the USDA mark of inspection, and were shipped to local stores and farmer’s markets in Arkansas.

Consumers with questions about the recall may contact Scott Ridenoure of B&R Meat Processing, at (479) 634-2211.

BMW of North America is recalling 91,800 model year 2005-2006 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to November 28, 2006, and 2005-2008 MINI Cooper Convertible and Cooper S Convertible vehicles manufactured January 5, 2005, to July 31, 2008.

Due to manufacturing, installation, and exposure issues, the front passenger seat occupant detection mat may not function properly and, as a result, the front passenger air bag may not deploy in a crash.

Failure of the air bag to deploy increases the passenger's risk of injury.

MINI will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat occupant detection mat, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin May 1, 2015.

Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

Civia Cycles, of Bloomington, Minn., is recalling about 1,000 Hyland bicycles and aluminum fenders.

The fender mounting bracket can break or bend, posing a fall hazard to the rider.

The company has received 1 report in which a consumer stated that a bracket broke and resulted in the consumer suffering a cervical spine injury and nerve damage.

This recall includes all Civia aluminum fenders sold separately as aftermarket sets and all Civia Hyland bicycles sold with the fenders as original equipment. The recalled fenders are round, designed for use with 700c wheels and tires and have the Civia logo on the front and rear sides of each fender. Fender sets came in black, blue, green, olive, red and silver.

Hyland bicycles came in blue, green, olive and red. The bikes have "Hyland" on the top tube, "Civia" on the down tube and the Civia logo on the seat tube.

The bikes and fenders, manufactured in Taiwan, were sold at independent bicycle retailers nationwide and online from April 2008, through March 2013, for about $60 per Civia fender set and between $1,200 and $4,500 for Civia Hyland bicycles.

Consumers should immediately stop riding bicycles with the recalled fenders and contact an authorized Civia Cycles dealer to receive a $60 credit.

Consumers may contact Civia Cycles toll-free at (877) 311-7686 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.