Drop-side cribs and pack-n-plays were recalled last year because babies DIED and the manufacturers had to react. Lives were lost before those products were pulled. Reactionary recalls are common... someone gets maimed or killed by a product and the product is pulled from shelves until a fix is found and the products go right back with either the problem resolved or a fix-it-yourself kit. My older son, Orion had his pack and play recalled. The very same pack and play he slept in as a newborn. It was recalled because of a collapse hazard where many had collapsed and an infant had dies due to suffocation. I returned my product, got my refund and replaced it and was then thankful my child's pack and play had not proven to be faulty. When the toy recall of 2007 happened, it was because thousands of children were getting lead poisoning and becoming seriously ill. Millions of toys were pulled from shelves. I did have children yet when this occurred, but again, the majority of American families were affected and most of them either tossed the foreign (and possibly dangerous) toys and moved on. Some were able to return them and get their money back. But I don't remember a class-action lawsuit in either of these cases. Maybe there was one, maybe there were 50, but I didn't hear about it.
Similac discovered some beetle larvae in one section of one manufacturing plant in Michigan and it voluntarily recalled hundreds of thousands of containers of formula that had a remote possibility of being contaminated. Something like 1-2% could have possibly been contaminated. And the biggest effect was a possible upset stomach and refusal to eat. I don't know about you, but if my child refuses to eat more than once, I'm going to investigate the cause and the first thing I'm going to do is investigate what he eats. Some of these moms that are complaining tried to give their child the contaminated formula multiple times before getting a clue. And yes, an upset stomach in a baby is an unfortunate situation, but I can guarantee it won't be the last time that child has an upset stomach. I get an upset stomach at least once a day - should I sue every company I consume food from? Apparently that's how one mom feels - she filed a class-action lawsuit against Similac because some of her child's formula was recalled. Really, lady? Did you do this because you're truly concerned about the food quality standards in this country? Or did you do this to make a quick buck in a devastated economy? To be honest, I couldn't care less what her motive is and what her objective is, but one fact of the case is that her husband is the lawyer representing her. The majority of the class in a class-action lawsuit usually sees very little payout from the lawsuit. The lawyers are the ones who stand to make a huge payday. Had Similac known about the problem and neglected to do anything, then yes, a lawsuit would be in order. But that isn't the case here, people. The company acknowledged publicly in a time of see-saw economics that their product had flaws and might make kids sick, so to please return it at their expense (Oh yes, they paid people shipping costs to send it back to them when there was no local store to return it to.). They took a hit to their public reputation AND they then lowered the prices all over of their liquid formulas that were not affected. I'm sure that decision was in part to lure customers to keep buying their products, but it also reduces costs for the parents of babies on Similac. Similac just as easily could have raised costs due to their millions in losses because of the recall. Yes, the company will lose millions of dollars over this VOLUNTARY recall. In my honest opinion, a class-action lawsuit is silly. But what do I know? My baby didn't get sick, so I'm an idiot in a corner with no knowledge of what's going on.
I guess what it boils down to that irks me, is that Similac did this willingly and not under the advice of the FDA, which by the way, has a limit on how many bug parts can be in food. Yes, a limit, meaning all manufactured food in the United States can contain buggie legs and such, as well as rodent hairs. And these food are deemed completely acceptable. Curious how many bugs you've eaten today? I had a peanut butter sandwich today so maybe I should sue JIF because there is a remote possibility that my 12 ounce jar could have nearly 100 bug fragments in it. The chart below shows at what level the FDA will take action against the manufacturing plant and/or parent company...here's your food for thought:
| Product | Action Level |
|---|---|
| Apple butter | 5 insects per 100g |
| Berries | 4 larvae per 500g OR 10 whole insects per 500g |
| Ground paprika | 75 insect fragments per 25g |
| Chocolate | 80 microscopic insect fragments per 100g |
| Canned sweet corn | 2 3mm-length larvae, cast skins or fragments |
| Cornmeal | 1 insect per 50g |
| Canned mushrooms | 20 maggots per 100g |
| Peanut butter | 60 fragments per 100g (136 per lb) |
| Tomato paste, pizza, and other sauces | 30 eggs per 100g OR 2 maggots per 100g |
| Wheat flour | 75 insect fragments per 50g |
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