Recalls in June 2024

Outdoor retailer REI is recalling around 75,860 children's bicycles after their defective training wheels injured kids.

A knob on the training wheels of the REI Co-op Cycles REV 12, 16 or 20-inch kid’s bicycles can loosen and detach, which has led to four reported injuries, including one broken arm, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday.

The bicycles were sold at REI stores across the country and on its website between March 2022 and May 2024. The bicycles were made in China and Cambodia.

See a table below on the the recalled kid's bikes. A printed serial number appears underneath the bike frame on the bottom bracket or down tube.

What to do

People who bought the bikes shouldn't use them with their training wheels and call their nearest REI store to arrange for a repair. If you can't visit an REI store, contact the company for a repair kit to be shipped. The recall number is 24-283.

Foppen Seafood is recalling Smoked Norwegian Salmon Slices – Toast sized, 8.1 oz, identified by lot number 412, sold in Kroger and Payless Supermarkets across 15 states in the USA.  This action is being taken due to the contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

The product can be identified by LOT 412 – to be found in the clear plastic window cut out on the front of the package. The product was distributed to Kroger and Payless supermarkets in AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MI, MO, MS, OH, SC, TN, TX and WV.

Routine testing has revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in the specified lot 412. Listeria monocytogenes is a type of bacteria that can cause listeriosis. Symptoms vary depending on the severity of the illness, symptoms may last from days to several weeks.

What to do

Consumers should discard the product or return for a refund. Customers who have purchased the affected Smoked Norwegian Salmon Slices with lot number 412 are advised not to consume the product. They should return it to the place of purchase for a full refund or replacement. 

For any questions or concerns, consumers may contact Foppen Seafood office USA at U.S.telephone number 844-646-0928 (24/7) or mail supportQ1087@foppenseafood.com.

StyleCraft is recalling around 50,000 hair clippers due to batteries that can overheat.

The trimmers, called the Instinct Professional Vector Motor Cordless Hair Clippers, have a lithium-ion battery that can overheat and cause fires and burns, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday. 

There have been six reports of the batteries overheating or causing a fire, including one minor burn.

StyleCraft sold the clippers at professional beauty supply stores nationwide, its website and Amazon for around $250 from January 2023 to May 2024. The clippers were made in China.

This is StyleCraft's first recall, according to the CPSC's database.

What to do

People who bought the clippers should stop using them and visit StyleCraft's website on how to remove the battery to get a free replacement. The batteries can get replaced at one of StyleCraft's authorized service centers or by returning the battery through mail in a pre-paid shipping package.

Vitamix is expanding its recall of blending containers and bases after more people have been injured.

The recall now affects around 569,000 Vitamix Ascent Series and Venturist Series 8-ounce and 20-ounce Blending Containers and Blade Bases, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday. Vitamix first recalled around 105,000 of the blending containers in August 2018.

The containers can separate from the blade's base and expose an owner's hands to the sharp edges, which has led to 27 reported injuries, including 11 from the previous 2018 recall, the CPSC said.

Vitamix sold the blender components at numerous big and small retail stores, including Costco, Target and Walmart, and on Vitamix's website, Amazon and QVC.com from April 2017 to May 2024.

The containers and bases sold for between $30 to $990, depending on if they were included with other products. They were made in the U.S.

This is Vitamix's second recall, according to the CPSC's database. In 2013, it recalled around 165,000 blenders because their blades could break. No injuries were reported from that recall.

What to do

Owners of the containers and bases should stop using them and contact Vitamix via its recall webpage for a repair kit, which involves putting a plastic cover over the blade base. Vitamix has been sending repair kits to buyers it can identify.

Last fall Wanabana USA launched a recall of all WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches because they contained too much lead. The product was pulled from store shelves – but apparently, not all store shelves.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent a warning letter to Dollar Tree, telling the discount chain that laboratory analysis of multiple lots of WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches, including finished product samples collected from Dollar Tree stores, detected extremely high concentrations of lead. 

In mid-November, the FDA said it began to receive reports of children sickened after eating the applesauce. At the time the agency said it believed at least 22 children were made sick by lead exposure.

The agency said since the recall, it has continued to receive reports from state health agencies that the tainted products were still being sold at many Dollar Tree stores across the U.S., resulting in an FDA Recall Audit Check (RAC) of Dollar Tree’s compliance.

“Based on FDA’s review of the RAC data from state and local partners, the agency determined that, through December 19, 2023, the recall was ineffective at the retail level due to Dollar Tree’s failure to adequately remove recalled product from Dollar Tree store shelves,” the warning letter stated. 

Reaction

In an email to ConsumerAffairs, Los Angeles environmental attorney Vineet Dubey, said Dollar Tree should be held accountable to the full extent of the law.

“The pouches left on the shelves were known to contain dangerously high levels of lead, they should have all been taken off the shelves days, if not hours, after the FDA recall,” Dubey said.

The FDA said its letter to Dollar Tree is intended to notify the company of FDA concerns and provide Dollar Tree the opportunity to address them.

“Failure to adequately address this matter may result in legal action, including, without limitation, seizure and injunction,” the letter concluded.

Hudson Harvest of Germantown, N.Y., is recalling Hudson Harvest Tomato Basil Sauce because of reported swelling, leaking, or bursting jars. The company says there is a possibility that the product has been under-processed, which could lead to the potential for spoilage organisms or pathogens.

The product was sold to retailers in New Yorjk, Connecticut and Massachusetts during the months of May and June 2024.

The product is packaged in a 16-ounce glass jar and printed with lot # 1042426, UPC # 683720301567. The UPC can be found above the bar code, and the lot number can be found on the side of the jar.

No illnesses or other adverse consequences have been reported to date

What to do

Consumers should not use this product, even if it does not appear to be spoiled. If you have purchased this product, please return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. If you have any questions, please contact us at 1-800-811-3795 (extension 2) 9 am – 5 pm ET.