Consumer Confidential: Strollers, shakes and spam

Here's your make-my-Monday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Heads up if you've got a little one. Maclaren, which makes some very popular strollers, has recalled about 1 million folding strollers that can cut or even cut off kids' fingertips. So far, the company says mishaps have resulted in at least 12 kids' fingertips being amputated. The kids apparently get their fingers caught in side hinges when the stroller is being opened or closed. For more info, check out www.maclaren.us/recall or call 877-688-2326.

--The economy might still stink, but things are looking up at the golden arches. McDonald's says its global sales rose 3.3% last month as consumers worldwide answered a hankering for Big Macs, fries and shakes. This was especially the case in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, where sales jumped 4.7%. Who says the United States isn't spreading sunshine throughout the world?

--The website Tagged.com has agreed to pay $500,000 to the New York attorney general's office to settle charges that it routinely hijacked people's e-mail accounts and sent marketing pitches to everyone they know. This is a relatively common ploy among social-networking sites and has sparked outcry among many Net users. If you've had a similar experience with either Tagged.com or some other site, don't hesitate to let California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown know about it.

-- David Lazarus

Adventure Playsets recalled for rotting wood beams

About 275,000 Adventure Playsets wooden play sets have been recalled because the plastic-coated wood of its horizontal ladder can rot and weaken over time and pose a fall hazard, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

More than 6,700 additional sets were recalled in Canada by the government organization Health Canada.

The play sets were manufactured in the U.S. and distributed by Adventure Playsets, based in Amarillo, Texas, the commission said.

This recall involves Adventure Playsets wooden play structures with swings, slides, and ladders.

Each set has a horizontal ladder that functions both as monkey bars and as a swing beam, as well as an end ladder coated with plastic.

The instruction manuals for the recalled play sets have the name "Adventure Playsets" and one of the following model numbers printed on the cover: 

-- Bellevue 1-AP048, and 1-AP012 

-- Belmont 1-AP003

-- Dakota 1- AP046

-- Durango 1-AP016 and 1- AP018

-- El Dorado 1-AP016

-- Madison 1- AP006 and 1-AP015

-- Sedona 1- AP002

-- Sherwood 1-AP049

-- Tacoma 1- AP017 and 1-AP051

-- Ventura 1-AP008 

-- Yukon 1-AP052

Adventure Playsets has received more than 1,400 reports of rotting ladders and 16 reports of injuries, which included nine emergency room visits, the commission said.

The Bellevue, Tacoma and Durango swing sets were previously recalled because of a fall hazard and detaching frames, the recall said.

The sets were sold at Toys R Us, Walmart, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Menards and Mill stores across the nation, and online at Walmart.com, ToyRUs.com, Willygoat.com and in the DMSI catalog, the agency said. 

The recalled play sets were sold from January 2004 to December 2007.

Consumers can call Adventure Playsets at (877) 840-9068 for more information or contact the company online at www.adventureplaysets.com.

-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

Top photo: The Dakota, one of the recalled Adventure Playsets play sets. Bottom photo: A swing beam on a recalled play set. Credit: Consumer Product Safety Commission

Target recalls 610,000 Halloween flashlights after reports of overheating, burn hazard

Target has recalled 610,000 Halloween flashlights sold exclusively at its stores after learning that the lights could heat up, melt and burn hands.

Two types of Halloween-themed flashlights are involved in the recall: mini Halloween flashlights and "standard size" Halloween flashlights sold with stencils, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a recall statement.

The recall was prompted by eight reports to Target of flashlights overheating and melting, including one person burning a hand, the commission said.

The mini flashlights have a key ring on the bottom and were sold in a packs of three colors: black, green and orange.

The packaging is orange and purple and is printed with “mini flashlights" and "3 pack” on the front, as well as “made in China” and “DPCI# 234-02-1813” on back, the commission said.

The standard-size flashlights are black with an orange top and sold with six stencils: a pumpkin, skull and crossbones, ghost, spider, cat and witch.

Target stores across the U.S. sold the flashlights -- $1 for the mini flashlight and $2.50 for a standard flashlight with stencils -- from August to September, the commission said.

The flashlights were manufactured in China by DGI of Warren, N.J., and Tien Hsing of Hong Kong, the agency said.

Consumers should stop using the flashlights and return them to any Target store for a full refund.

For more information, contact Target at (800) 440-0680 or online at www.target.com.

-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

Photos: The recalled standard-size "Flashlight With Stencil" and "Mini Flashlights." Credit: Consumer Product Safety Commission

Consumer Confidential: Baby Einstein, gas prices and newspapers

Here's your make-my-Monday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Turns out playing "Baby Einstein" videos for your toddler isn't so smart after all. So Disney is offering refunds to anyone who bought one of the videos between June 2004 and September 2009. Some parents and consumer advocates have been saying for years that the DVDs are little more than marketing tools that target babies and play no demonstrable role in improving cognitive skills. A Disney official blasted such criticism as "extreme." Nevertheless, the company is doing the right thing by letting parents off the hook.

--Like you needed something else to worry about: Retail gas prices are on the rise, raising fears that higher costs at the pump will slow the economic recovery this holiday season. The average gas price nationwide is up 20 cents over the last couple of weeks to $2.671 a gallon. That matches the peak set during the summer driving season, indicating that rising oil prices will keep pushing pump prices northward.

--There may never have been greater demand for information, but it's clear that fewer and fewer people want it from (ahem) newspapers. The Audit Bureau of Circulations says the average daily circulation of newspapers dropped by another 10.6% in the April-September period -- more than twice the decline of the same period last year. Consumer-themed blogs, meanwhile, showed surprising growth and vitality, raising the likelihood that the people who write daily roundups are in line for fabulous bonuses and raises. I wish.

-- David Lazarus

Consumer Confidential: Credit cards, muscle carts and car seats

Here's your woe-it's-Wednesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

• Fedmeister Ben Bernanke says the Federal Reserve may speed up new credit card regulations -- or maybe not. Amid efforts by lawmakers to get tough new laws on the books, Bernanke said it's possible that the Fed's own efforts could arrive sooner than their current arrival date of Feb. 22. But he's concerned that banks need sufficient time "to allow for an orderly transition and to avoid unintended consequences, compliance difficulties and potential liabilities." I say: Get some darned safeguards in place and worry about consequences and difficulties later.

• The Consumer Product Safety Commission says it'll take a closer look at so-called ROVs, or off-road recreational vehicles. The four-wheel contraptions, which look like golf carts on steroids, have been responsible for more than 100 deaths since 2003, the agency says. ROV-makers have proposed voluntary safety regulations, but officials say those rules don't go far enough. So the commission will now explore its own crackdown. How hard can this be? Write some rules that keep people from dying. Is this something that really needs to be negotiated?

• Car seats are great ... in cars. On the dining room table? Not so much. That's the conclusion of a new study which found that more than 43,000 kids ended up in the emergency room between 2003 and 2007 after falling in car seats placed atop tables and other high surfaces. The problem, of course, is that kids wriggle and jiggle, and can send unsecured car seats tumbling. Note to parents: Keep the car seat in the car. Keep the kid in a crib or down on the floor.

-- David Lazarus

Plum Organics recalls baby food potentially contaminated with botulism-causing bacteria [Updated]

Plum Organics has recalled a batch of its apple and carrot "portable pouch" baby food possibly contaminated with bacteria that can cause botulism.

The baby food was sold at Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores in 4.22 ounce pouches marked with an expiration date of May 21, 2010, the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement. 

The bottom of the recalled pouches also has the UPC code of 890180001221 printed on the bottom, the administration said.

“Due to a mixing error during production, one batch of this product was improperly blended," Plum Organics founder Gigi Lee Chang said in a statement. "As a result, it did not meet our company’s standard for quality."

No injuries or illnesses have been reported, but the mixing error resulted in the baby food possibly being contaminated with clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism, the administration said.

Botulism is a serious illness that can lead to muscle paralysis and, in some cases, respiratory failure.

Because of the health risk, consumers should not feed their children the baby food, the FDA said. The recalled pouches can be returned for a full refund at any Toys"R"Us or Babies"R"Us store.

No other Plum Organics products were affected by the mixing error, the statement said. Plum Organics is a subsidiary of the Nest Collective Inc. based in Emeryville.

For more information, consumers can call (888) 974-3555 or e-mail info@plumorganics.com.

[Updated at 4:23 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said the recalled baby food was contaminated with a botulism-causing bacteria. The baby food was recalled because it may contain the botulism-causing bacteria, not because it had been found to contain the bacteria.]

-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

Photo: Expiration date on Plum Organics apple and carrot portable pouch baby food. Credit: Plum Organics.

Milk is the top school food, survey finds

Market research firm NPD Group recently looked at the source of children's lunches during the school year and found that schools are the primary provider of at-school lunches for students.

NPD’s Lunchtime Mealscape, which looks into what's offered in the way of school food and beverage choices, found that approximately 64% of lunches are school-provided, 28% are carried from home, and 8% are obtained from other sources.
 
According to the research firm, the top school-prepared foods and beverages consumed by kids ages 6 to 12 are milk, sandwiches (including burgers and hot dogs), fruit and fruit salad, pizza, chicken, French fries, tap water and cookies.

Here's NPD's list of the top 10 school-prepared foods consumed by 6- to 12 year-olds, and the percentage of children who consume them at lunch:   
 
1.    Milk, 77%
2.    Sandwiches, 44%
3.    Fruit / fruit salad, 35%
4.    Vegetables, 24%
5.    Pizza, 23%
6.    Fruit drinks, 19%
7.    Chicken, 13%
8.    French fries,    12%
9.    Tap water, 9%
10.   Cookies, 9%

-- Jerry Hirsch

Target settles CPSC allegations of selling toys with lead paint in $600,000 fine

Target Corp. has agreed to pay a $600,000 fine for allegedly violating the federal lead paint ban for toys, the Consumer Products Safety Commission said.

The civil penalty is a part of a settlement between the Commission and the Minneapolis, Minn., retailer that stems from accusations by the agency that Target knowingly imported and sold multiple toys with paint or other coatings containing illegal amounts of lead from May 2006 to August 2007.

The agency also accused Target of failing to prevent toys or other children’s products with lead in them from being imported or sold in its stores, which created a risk of lead poisoning and children's health problems.

As a part of the settlement, Target has denied Commission allegations that it broke any laws.

Target voluntarily recalled the toys in question, including Anima Bamboo Collection Games, Happy Giddy Gardening Tools, Kool Toyz and Sunny Patch Chairs, the agency said.

Lead has been banned from toy paint since 1978.

-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

Photos: Recalled Kool Toyz products (top) and Anima Bamboo Collection Games (bottom). Credit: Consumer Product Safety Commission

Toys R Us releases list of hottest toys for holiday season

Toys R Us today released its list of the 36 hottest toys for the holidays, including "Toy Story" talking action figures, Bakugan Battle Brawlers and Barbie dolls.

The retailer said it compiled its Holiday Hot Toy List by testing the best products throughout the year and taking into account "outstanding value in quality, price and play."

"There are so many great new toys, games and kid-friendly electronics available this year that we had a difficult time narrowing down the items on the list," said Karen Dodge, senior vice president and chief merchandising officer of the company’s U.S. division. "With toys spanning every price point, parents will have lots of affordable fun options to choose from this holiday season."

Following is the Toys R Us "Fabulous 15," a subset of the 36 toys on the Holiday Hot Toy List:

• Bakugan Battle Brawlers New Vestroia Maxus Helios 7 in 1 from Spin Master
• Chixos Pink Design-A-Luxury Loft from Spin Master
• Color Me a Song from Crayola Beginnings
• Disney Netpal from ASUS
• Disney•Pixar Toy Story Interactive Buddies Talking Action Figures (Buzz and Woody) from Thinkway
• Disney Princess: Just One Kiss Princess Tiana Doll from Mattel
• Fast Lane JLX Oover Drive Radio Control All Terrain Vehicle from Toys R Us
• Laugh & Learn Learning Farm from Fisher-Price
• Little Mommy Baby Ah-Choo from Fisher-Price
• Mindflex from Mattel
• Nerf N-Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS-35 from Hasbro
• "Star Wars" Fan's Choice Anniversary Edition Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser from Lego
• "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" Construction Devastator from Hasbro
• Wii Sports Resort from Nintendo
• Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster from Cepia

-- Andrea Chang

Photo: The Construction Devastator is on Toys R Us' 2009 Holiday Hot Toy List. Credit: Craig Ruttle / Associated Press

Wal-Mart offers affordable family fun with new Family Night Centers

Wal-Mart is making family fun a new priority.

This month, the world's largest retailer will launch in-store Family Night Centers, which are designed to give customers a one-stop shop for at-home activities including board games, movies and snacks.

The retailer said it hoped the Family Night Centers would help provide affordable entertainment for families as they spend more time at home during the recession.

"With busier schedules and kids heading back to school, now is a great time to provide a dedicated place in our stores to give Mom the savings and ideas to create fun, quality time for her family this fall," said Laura Phillips, chief toy officer and senior vice president of entertainment for Wal-Mart.

Family Night Centers include: Board games Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders and Yahtzee for $8; Jenga and Monopoly for $10; Operation and Twister for $15; and movies including "Camp Rock," "Enchanted" and "High School Musical" for $10.

-- Andrea Chang