Brea manufacturer Nature & Health Co. has issued a nationwide recall of six of its dietary supplements.
The products are LibieXtreme, Y-4ever, Libimax X liquid, Powermania liquid, Powermania capsule and Herbal Disiac. They were sold by retailers in California, Georgia, Illinois, Texas and Ohio.
The company said it was recalling the supplements after a lab analysis by the Food and Drug Administration found that samples contained active ingredients of drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction. Those active ingredients were not listed on the product labels and may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs, which could lower blood pressure to dangerous levels, the FDA said in a statement.
People with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart disease often take nitrates.
Nature & Health said it had not received any reports of illnesses or adverse side effects.
Consumers should stop taking these products immediately and return any unused products for a refund of the full purchase price or price for the unused portion to the retail location where they were purchased. Contact Nature & Health at (714) 671-0016 or e-mail sales@naturehealth.com for further instructions.
Owners of H2O Mop Steam Cleaners might be in for a shock, if they haven't had one already.
About 580,000 of the steam cleaners were recalled today by the Consumer Product Safety Commission after complaints of the power cord on the cleaners unexpectedly wearing down and exposing wiring.
The exposed wiring poses a shock and burn hazard to anyone using the H2O cleaners, the agency said.
Thane International Inc., based in La Quinta, has received 10 reports of consumers getting shocked while using the cleaners, as well as eight reports of burns, the commission said.
The recalled H2O mops are white with a purple water tank with the “H20” and “M” logos printed on the top of the appliance's cleaning head.
The model numbers on the recalled cleaners are 808.092 and OEM-TV-001, and the recall includes only H2O mops with the reference numbers 200709198 to 200803148 or H20M1000 to M-H20M1198 printed on the label on the back.
The cleaners were sold by retailers nationwide as well as by QVC on its TV shopping program, by Thane through TV infomercials and online at www.thane.com.
The electric steam mops were sold June 2007 through December 2008 for about $100.
Consumers should stop using the recalled steam cleaners and contact Thane to receive a free repair kit at 800-485-0017 or at www.h2omopservice.com.
-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles Photo: A rear view of a recalled H2O Mop Steam Cleaner. Credit: Consumer Product Safety Commission
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. today officially unveiled its widely rumored plan to slap an “eco-rating” on products in its stores. The world’s largest retailer is betting that shoppers will care how green their purchases are -- and maybe even pay more for environmentally friendly merchandise.
The green ratings will take years to show up on the chain’s shelves. In the first phase of its initiative, Wal-Mart will ask suppliers questions about things such as the amount of water used in producing items. The aim is to develop a green index for Wal-Mart products similar to the nutritional label found on the packaging for food products.
“Customers want products that are more efficient, that last longer and perform better,” Wal-Mart Chief Executive Mike Duke said in a statement. “And increasingly they want information about the entire life cycle of a product so they can feel good about buying it. . . . We do not see this as a trend that will fade.”
Experts have said the ambitious program probably will spur suppliers to redesign products to reduce their environmental impact and improve their score. And that could cause broad changes in manufacturing.
Many of Wal-Mart’s suppliers already have taken their own steps to become more eco-friendly.
At Levi Strauss & Co., Michael Kobori, vice president of social and environmental sustainability, said the jeans maker had set water-quality standards for its suppliers and now recommends that its jeans are washed in cold water, as opposed to hot or warm water, to save energy.
Kobori said the San Francisco company was pleased with Wal-Mart’s new initiative and called it the next logical step to improve the industry.
“It sends the right signal to the marketplace and the right signal to the supply chain that sustainability is important,” he said. “We hope it changes the game.”
As part of a new marketing campaign, Sit 'n Sleep is launching a mattress buyback program tomorrow to encourage customers to trade in their old mattresses toward the purchase of a new one.
The promotion is available at all 22 Sit 'n Sleep stores and will run through Aug. 23. Any old mattress will qualify, and customers do not need to bring the mattress to the store -- it just should be ready to be picked up when the new one is delivered.
The Gardena company said it would use a “sliding scale” to determine the worth of the old mattress. Factors include a mattress's size and quality.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall of hooded sweatshirts today because the drawstring in the hood poses a strangulation hazard to children.
About 7,000 of the Pro Club hooded sweatshirts are being recalled; all have a tag inside the collar with the registered number 100418.
Pro Club hooded sweatshirts were sold in Los Angeles and Las Vegas in November and December 2008 for about $19. The sweatshirts came in black, navy and gray.
The safety commission urges consumers to “immediately remove the drawstrings from the sweatshirts to eliminate the hazard” or return the sweatshirt with a drawstring to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Consumers also get a full refund by returning it to the company that distributes the product, Gardena-based Propac Distributing.
The economic downturn is expected to have a major impact on back-to-school spending, with 85% of Americans making changes to their back-to-school plans this year.
The average family with students in kindergarten through high school is expected to spend $548.72 on back-to-school merchandise this year, a decline of 7.7% from $594.24 in 2008, according to a survey released today by the National Retail Federation. Total back-to-school spending is expected to reach $17.42 billion.
The survey found that back-to-school shoppers plan to hunt for sales more often (56.2%), spend less overall (49.6%), purchase more store-brand or generic products (41.7%) and increase their use of coupons (40%).
“The economy has clearly changed the spending habits of American families, which will likely create a difficult back-to-school season for retailers,” said Tracy Mullin, president of the retail federation. “As people focus primarily on price, strong promotions and deep discounts will ultimately win over back-to-school shoppers this year.”
Spending in most back-to-school categories is expected to decrease, with one bright spot: electronics. With personal laptops and desktop computers increasingly affordable for most families, spending on electronics and computer equipment is expected to increase 11%. According to the survey, the average family plans to spend $167.84 on electronics, compared with $151.61 last year.
Families will also spend an average of $204.67 on clothing and accessories, $93.59 on shoes and $82.62 on school supplies.
The poll of 8,367 consumers was conducted from June 30 to July 7 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1%.
Although discount stores (74.5%) will be the most popular destination for back-to-school shoppers, the number of people planning to buy school items at drugstores is expected to rise.
According to the survey, 21.5% of families will shop at drugstores for back-to-school items, compared with 18.2% last year. Drugstores have become more popular recently as their merchandise mix has broadened beyond health and beauty products to include school supplies, small electronics and groceries.
In addition to discounters and drugstores, more than half of back-to-school shoppers will head to department stores (54.4%), nearly half (48.4%) will shop at a clothing store and 41.2% will visit office-supply stores.
Also, 22.2% will shop online, 20.8% will shop at electronics stores and 18.2% will shop at a thrift store.
Gasoline prices dropped an average of 8.4 cents a gallon nationwide in the last week to $2.528 a gallon for regular, the Energy Department said today.
The U.S. average price dropped for the third week in a row, partly because of an eight-week low in crude-oil futures.
The average price of a gallon of 87-octane gasoline in California dropped 7.2 cents to $2.88, down $1.64 from a year earlier, the government’s weekly survey of filling stations found.
The U.S. average was down $1.585, or 39%, from a year earlier, when it was $4.113.
Gasoline in the West Coast region cost an average of $2.819, the highest in the nation. The Gulf Coast had the lowest average, $2.385.
Crude oil for August delivery fell 20 cents to $59.69 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the lowest settlement since May 19.
Monday’s futures price was down 59% from the record high of $147.27 a barrel on July 11, 2008.
The recent drop in gas and oil prices mirrors last summer’s performance, said Marie Montgomery, a spokeswoman for the Automobile Club of Southern California.
“The prices got to the level where they were just being bid up by investors, but had to fall because driving demand was down and there are really no production problems in our refineries,” Montgomery said. “We’re in the same spot this year and we’re seeing that these prices can’t sustain themselves. But while prices are dropping, they never drop as fast as they rise.”
-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles
Photo: A gasoline nozzle fuels up a boat in Valero, Calif. Credit: Associated Press
Limit one offer per customer per visit. And you must mention the offer at the time of order. To get a free treat, the sundae has to be of equal or lesser value than the one you buy.
Check with your local scoop shop to see if it is participating in the promotion.
Now that July 4 is over, another red, white and blue celebration is on the way: Bastille Day. Here are some French-inspired events that will be taking place in the L.A. area for the July 14 holiday.
Comme Ca in West Hollywood will kick off its Bastille Day celebration with a block party Sunday from 3 to 7 p.m. that will feature small plates and cocktails. The restaurant will also offer a special three-course, $40 prix fixe dinner menu (entree choices are roasted monkfish and bacon-wrapped saddle of rabbit) and special wines throughout the week.
Monticello Old Lodge in Elysian Park will host a Bastille Day L.A. Festival on Sunday. The event will feature a Parisian waiters race, live entertainment and French food and wine. There will also be a raffle for a trip to Paris. Festival hours are noon to 10 p.m. Entrance fee is $5; children under 13 get in free.
Bistro 45 in Pasadena is throwing a Bastille Day bash Sunday. The restaurant says that “reveling roustabouts” will enjoy a three-course meal and wine for $50. Dinner starts at 5:30 p.m.
In the dog days of summer, nothing tastes better than a cold drink.
Especially a free cold drink.
7-Eleven said its 6,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada are preparing to give away close to 5 million free 7.11-ounce Slurpee drinks on Saturday, July 11 (that's 7/11, get it?). The retailer is celebrating its 82nd birthday.
The annual tradition of giving away Slurpees on July 11 began in 2002. For this year's promotion, special cups feature a code that allows customers to enter an online sweepstakes. Entrants can purchase $7.11 lawn tickets for concerts at select Live Nation venues across the country. (Some additional fees apply).
About 3,200 pairs of Charles David women's shoes sold exclusively in California Nordstrom stores and Nordstrom Rack locations nationwide were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission today.
The recall was issued because the heels on the shoes can detach, posing a fall hazard, the commission said.
Charles David, based in Culver City, has received one report of a heel detaching, resulting in minor bruising, the agency said.
The shoes were sold under the Charles by Charles David and Charles David of California brand names in sizes seven and nine from April to June, the commission said.
Prices on the recalled styles, which were made in China, Spain, and Italy, were between $22 and $80, the agency said.
Owners of the shoes should stop wearing them immediately and return them to any Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack store for a full refund, the commission said.
For more information on the shoe refund, consumers can reach Nordstrom customer service at 800-804-0806 or by e-mail at contact@nordstrom.com.
There might never be a free lunch, but what about dinner?
Wienerschnitzel will give away either an Original Chili Dog or a Tastee Freez small ice cream cone to patrons on July 14 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at all participating Southern California locations. Wienerschnitzel of Newport Beach has 158 locations in the region.
The promotion is part of a series of restaurant giveaways this year, including breakfast at Denny’s and chicken at El Pollo Loco.
According to Wienserschnitzel, Americans consume more hot dogs in July than any other month.New York is the biggest market for hot dogs, but Los Angeles is second.
Starbucks is giving out free ice cream – on Facebook.
Members of the social networking site can surprise fellow users with a coupon for a pint of free ice cream every day through July 19. Up to 20,000 free coupons are available each day, and will be given out in batches of roughly 800 each hour.
Facebook users will receive a message asking them to try again later if all the pints for a particular hour have already been allocated, according to Starbucks spokeswoman Melanie Muccio.
Coupons for the new flavors – caramel macchiato, mocha frappuccino, java chip frappuccino and coffee – can be redeemed at grocery stores. Starbucks retail locations do not stock the ice cream, Muccio said.
Find out Friday at one of Chick-fil-A's more than 1,400 restaurants. In honor of the company's fifth annual Cow Appreciation Day, any customer who dresses like a bovine gets a free combo meal. But tasteful furry ears or a cowbell necklace alone won't cut it -- the promotion only applies to those decked out head to toe in cow garb. Partial cow attire only will earn customers a free entree.
The Atlanta-based chicken chain's soft spot for cows can be traced directly to its marketing campaign that features cows wearing "Eat Mor Chikin" signs.
A Facebook photo contest will be held on the dress-up day. Parents also can start entering their children in the Kids' Photo Contest online. The grand-prize winner will receive a prize package, a digital camera and a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond.
Chick-fil-A has some sartorial advice on its website, including tips on how to create a spotted costume.
Just be careful to channel Daisy the cow, not Cruella de Vil.
Customers who follow Pizza Hut on Facebook or Twitter will receive a special code today for free stuffed pizza rolls, according to the company's summer "twintern" (an intern who uses Twitter at work.).
But that's only if you buy a large pizza first, according to the company's Facebook page.
To find the company on Facebook and Twitter, just search for "Pizza Hut." After all, Chief Marketing Officer Brian Niccol went through all the trouble last month to correct rumors that Pizza Hut was changing its name to "The Hut."
Good thing too. A post about the news on the Pizza Hut Facebook profile met with nearly 3,000 fans signaling that they "liked" the the original name.
In unrelated news, the Pizza Hut twintern tweeted: "Luv my new job!"
There won't be a football game this weekend, but beer will be flowing freely at Fourth of July barbecues and parties across the nation.
According to Nielsen Co., July 4 is the biggest beer-selling holiday of the year, with sales at U.S. supermarkets topping 24 million cases at this time last year.
"In these difficult economic times, beer sales have remained relatively steady," said Nick Lake, vice president and group director of Nielsen Co., which found that there are more than 521,000 beer-selling retail establishments in the U.S. "July 4, and the summer months in general, have traditionally been the highest-selling period for beer around the country."
