This week, the recall has been expanded to include over 10.5 million pounds of frozen snacks.

Rich Products has voluntarily recalled all products produced at its Waycross, Georgia plant with “Best by” dates from january 1, 2013 to September 29, 2014. The recall includes all sizes of Farm Rich-branded Mini Quesadillas, Mini Pizza Slices, Mozzarella Bites, Mini Bacon Cheeseburgers, and Philly Cheese Steaks. Other products from Farm Rich, such as Mozzarella Sticks and Stuffed Pretzel Bites, are made in separate plants and are not part of the recall.

The recall was expanded when the source of the contamination could not be determined. Farm Rich called this “unacceptable” and voluntarily recalled everything made in the Georgia plant.

“It saddens us deeply that anyone has become ill after consuming Farm Rich products,” said Bill Gisel, CEO of Farm Rich. “When it became apparent to us that despite the expertise of the USDA, FDA, the scientific community and our own experts, that identification of a specific cause was not going to be a simple or short process, we decided to act proactively to expand the recall.”

No reports of sickness due to the products have been reported. Farm Rich has stated that customers can call the company’s customer relations helpline to receive a refund or replacement of the potentially-contaminated products they have had to throw out.

The recalled products are one-pound “chubs” of Gwaltney mild pork sausage roll that have a use-by date of March 12, 2013 and cases of the same type of sausage roll that have a case code of 78533109741.

The meat was packaged on January 11 of this year and have been shipped to 11 states and the District of Columbia. The states are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Smithfield discovered the contamination after it received two separate complaints from customers. So far, there have been no reported injuries due to the plastic pieces.

Located in Smithfield, Virginia, the Smithfield Packing Company was founded in 1936. It has been shipping pork products since that time and is one of the largest meat companies in the U.S.

The CPSC is warning consumers that the Nap Nanny baby recliners “contain defects in the design, warnings, and instructions,” that could lead to the injury or death of babies. The agency states that it knows of five infants who have died in newer Nap Nanny devices, and 70 more cases of babies nearly falling out of the device.

The recall is being undertaken by retailers because, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Baby Matters is either “unable or unwilling to participate in the recall.” Baby Matters and the CPSC have been unable to agree on a recall plan, and the CPSC has filed an administrative complaint against the company.

Leslie Gudel, the owner and founder of Nap Nanny has responded to the CPSC’s complaint on the product’s website:

The CPSC’s complaint notes that five infants have died “while using” the Nap Nanny. The loss of an infant is an unthinkable tragedy, and I am truly heartbroken for the families who have lost a child. But the fact that infants have died “while using” the Nap Nanny improperly, such as when used in a crib where the child could suffocate on a crib bumper or a blanket, does not mean our product caused the child’s death or is hazardous.

The first generation of Nap Nanny devices was recalled back in 2010, in exchange for $80 coupons toward the purchase of newer models of the Nap Nanny. The generation two Nap Nanny and the “Chill” model both contain more explicit warnings and instructions for parents.

In an official statement, BP said it believes the gas contained a higher than normal amount of polymeric residue. The company admitted that the fuel in question could cause hard starting, salling, and “other drivability issues.” BP stated that it guarantees every gallon of gas it sells, and urges customers who believe they received some of the bad batch to call BP’s customer hotline. Anyone buying gas from Northwest Indiana BP stations or other gas stations during the past week may have been affected.

Presumably, motorists will have their vehicle repair costs covered by BP. This is assuming, of course, that customers can get ahold of someone at BP. The Consumerist is reporting that BP’s customer hotline is being flooded at the moment, causing long hold times. According to a local news report, the estimated cost for repairing one of the affected vehicles is around $1,200.

BP is now reviewing shipping records and contacting Northwest Indiana distributors who have loaded the bad product onto tanker trucks and replacing the bad gas. The company issued an apology, stating, “We would like to apologize for the inconvenience this has caused some of our customers.”

It just so happens that "baby food recall" is one of the top queries on Google’s hot trends. That means a lot of people are rushing to find information about it (and with good reason). Making babies sick would be quite disastrous, not just for babies and parents, but for the company as well. Plum Organics did not hesitate to post a statement online, and use Twitter and Facebook to get information out and engage with concerned consumers. Here’s a look at the conversation on Plum Organics’ Facebook page:

While nobody (including the company) is happy about the recall, you can tell the company approached the situation the right way in an effort to maintain a positive reputation. Most of the comments are reasonably positive considering the circumstances. Customers are grateful for the easily accessible information and transparency.

Besides linking to the statement with its Facebook Page, Plum Organics also did so with its Twitter account:

Not only does this help get the information out to a different group of people, it also caters to the spread of this important information, due to the retweeting culture of Twitter:

It certainly helps that no babies have been reported sick as a result of the product in question, but the company’s statement and approach to social media have no doubt made a problem a smaller one than it could have been for the company. It also shows how social media can be used for general good, by possibly saving babies from eating a compromised product.

If you are concerned about the recall, Plum Organics’statement says the following:

Plum Organics immediately investigated the matter and confirmed that a mixing error was to blame which resulted in an improper blend of carrots and apples.

Please accept my deepest apologies for this inconvenience. If you have any further questions, please contact Plum Organics at info@plumorganics.com.

In preparation for your phone interview:

• Familiarize yourself with the job description under Product Development. http://www.google.com/jobs/index.html
• Familiarize yourself with all of Google’s products (you will be asked both technical & business related questions)
• Be prepared to answer Product Design / Analytical questions (be sure to think of the user when answering this question)
• Conduct some searches (Google product manager)
• Research our competitors

How badly do you want to work at Google?

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Take another example.  I just performed a search for “recalls” on Google News, and got 17,338 results (the top story, by the way, is about some high-tech Japanese toilets that have been known to catch fire).  For the term “Yahoo,” I got only 16,908 results.  Something is definitely happening, and Yahoo’s Gordon Hurd has taken note.

“When a well-known product is pulled from the shelves it can cause concern for consumers everywhere,” Hurd wrote on Yahoo’s Buzz Blog.  “[W]e saw new surges inspired by a Listerine recall (1,435%), as well as a recall of a half-million Ford Escapes.”  I should note that those Fords’ brakes can go up in flames . . . but perhaps comparisons between them and bathroom fixtures are best saved for another day.

In any event, consumers need not blindly wonder what unsafe products are lurking out there – Hurd compiled a list of them for everyone’s benefit (or, to be more accurate, a list of Yahoo’s top twenty recall queries).  Of those, exactly ten are pet food-related; the others are a bit scattershot.

Yet as these recalls pass and others crop up, consumers will need to stay up-to-date.  To that end, you can keep an eye on Recalls.gov and the official FDA site.  Alternatively, you can putter around your favorite search engine – while I’m sure its owners regret the implications of all these recalls, they’re not going to turn away the extra traffic.

Apple computers affected include the 12-inch iBook G4, the 12-inch PowerBook G4 and the 15-inch PowerBook G4. These batteries were manufactured by LG Chem Ltd. of South Korea. The numbers on the Apple batteries include:

12-inch iBook G4 – A1061 – HQ441-HQ507

12-inch PowerBook G4 – A1079 – 3X446-3X510

15-inch PowerBook G4 – A1078 – 3X446-3X509

Apple said exchange isn’t a problem. Contact them to verify the information and a battery will be issued. Once received, just send back the defective product. They warned also to check recently purchased replacement batteries for these computers as well as the iBook G3.

HP’s recall seems a little more extensive. Their recalls total about 135,000 worldwide and 85,000 in the U.S. They said they’ve received reports on 16 overheating batteries but no one had been injured. They recommended advice similar to Apple’s. Contact them and they will make arrangements to ship a new battery to the consumer.

The recalled battery packs for HP are labeled with bar codes starting with GC, IA, L0 or L1. There are several models of computer listed including some in the HP Pavillion, HP Compaq, Compaq Presario and Compaq Evo product lines.

The HP batteries were purchased between Mar 2004 and May 2005. The Apple batteries were listed in October 2004 to May 2005. In both cases, computer users should not use the computer with the batteries until the replacement arrives. They said to keep it strictly to the power cord.

This wouldn’t be the first time Apple’s had problems with batteries either. They had problems with iPod batteries several months ago. It took a little effort to get Apple moving but they eventually got it together. Because this particular case is government mandated situation, it’s moving a bit smoother.

John Stith is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.

John Walton lived near the crash site, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He was 58 years old. He was the pilot of the plane, which that carried no passengers, and crashed shortly after take-off.

The cause of the crash has yet to be determined. Walton was pronounced dead at the scene. Besides being the heir to the Wal-Mart company, Walton was a board member.

“He’s the most independent of the bunch and the only one who doesn’t live here in Arkansas, and he’s a tremendous individual,” wrote Sam Walton in his biography, which was published about 13 years ago. Bloomberg News recalls,

In a November 2004 Fortune magazine article, writer Andy Serwer described Walton as a “renaissance man” interested in flying, sailing and technology and also as a venture capitalist.

The article called John “the crusader” of the Walton family for focusing on improving U.S. schools. He led the family foundation to donate at least $700 million to education-related causes between 1998 and 2004, USA Today reported last year. In March, Forbes magazine listed him as the world’s 11th richest person with a net worth of $18.2 billion.

“This is a horrible tragedy. What is so unusual about this is it is the founder’s son,” said a Wal-Mart analyst with Deutsche Bank, Bill Dreher. “Sam Walton was brilliant with estate planning. I don’t know the details with John Walton, but I would expect there would be a smooth transition.”

Walton had a wife and a son. One of his brothers, S. Robson Walton, is the chairman of Wal-Mart’s board. The Walton family owns about 40% of Wal-Mart shares.

Chris is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that Guidant is voluntarily recalling the defibrillators which are now considered to be dangerous.

The defibrillators have flaws that can lead to their malfunction, which can lead to the death of the person who has it implanted inside of them. At least two people with the defibrillators have died so far.

“Patient safety is paramount and our highest priority,” stated Guidant President and CEO Ronald W. Dollens. “As a leading manufacturer of lifesaving technology, Guidant takes seriously its responsibility to create the most reliable products and services, enhance patient outcomes and limit adverse events to patients.”

Doctors are being advised about the safety of three models of defibrillators by Guidant. There have been 45 cases in which the devices have failed.

The defibrillator models being recalled include:

“The purpose of the company’s recent communications is to share information with physicians and patients about problems in a small subset of Guidant devices,” said Dollens. “We will work with physicians as they decide how best to treat their patients.”

Dollens added, “Guidant is committed to establishing industry guidelines and processes to determine when, how and under what circumstances adverse events should be communicated to doctors and patients. Guidant hopes to work with FDA, other regulatory agencies and physicians to convene a panel to assist the medical device industry in establishing clear guidelines.”

Yesterday MarketWatch reported that Guidant shares fell 92 cents, or 1.3%, to $72.74. Guidant is being acquired by Johnson & Johnson, which was up 18 cents to $66.48.

Chris is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.