Apple juice sold at Walmart in 25 states recalled due to elevated arsenic levels
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(NEW YORK) — More than 9,500 cases of 100% apple juice that were sold at Walmart have been recalled due to high levels of arsenic.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration upgraded the level of the apple juice recall, originally issued on Aug. 15, from unclassified to class 2, which indicates “a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences,” but is unlikely to cause “serious adverse health consequences.”
“Product contains inorganic arsenic above action level set in industry guidance (13.2ppb),” meaning parts per billion, the FDA said of the juice.
The agency’s enforcement report stated that 9,535 cases of Great Value brand apple juice sold at Walmart in 25 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia had been voluntarily recalled by the manufacturer Refresco Beverages US Inc.
A representative for Refresco told ABC News in a statement, “We are aware that certain lots of the 100% apple juice we previously manufactured contains inorganic arsenic slightly above the FDA’s 10 ppb (parts per billion) action level in the FDA Final Guidance to Industry on Action Level for Inorganic Arsenic in Apple Juice, which aims at reducing the dietary exposure of contaminants to as low as possible. As a result, impacted products are being voluntarily recalled.”
The statement continued, “At this time there are no reported complaints or incidents of illness caused by the product. Per the FDA, it is not possible to completely prevent arsenic from entering the food supply, yet exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic can have adverse health effects.”
The representative added that “the safety of consumers and the satisfaction of our customers are our top priorities” and that the company is “working diligently to address the situation.”
Product details of recalled apple juice
The contaminated Great Value beverages in question were sold in six-packs of 8-ounce plastic bottles with the UPC code 0-78742-29655-5.
The recalled apple juice has a “Best if used by” date code of DEC2824 CT89-6.
(RALEIGH, N.C.) — When Vice President Kamala Harris unveils her economic policy proposals in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday, it will include a proposal to provide up to $25,000 in down payment support for first-time homebuyers, according to a campaign official.
The campaign is vowing that during its first term, the Harris-Walz administration would provide working families who have paid their rent on time for two years and are buying their first home up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance, with more generous support for first-generation homeowners.
In a preview statement obtained by ABC News, the campaign says, “Many Americans work hard at their jobs, save, and pay their rent on time month after month. But they can’t save enough after paying their rent and other bills to save for a down payment — denying them a shot at owning a home and building wealth. As the Harris-Walz plan starts to expand the supply of entry-level homes, they will, during their first term, provide working families who have paid their rent on time for two years and are buying their first home up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance, with more generous support for first-generation homeowners.”
“The Biden-Harris administration proposed providing $25,000 in downpayment assistance for 400,000 first-generation home buyers — or homebuyers whose parents don’t own a home — and a $10,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers. This plan will significantly simplify and expand the reach of down-payment assistance, allowing over 1 million first time-buyers per year – including first-generation home buyers – to get the funds they need to buy a house when they are ready to buy it,” the Harris campaign said.
Prior to Harris’ speech on Friday, an official also released more details on the housing component of Vice President Harris’ lower costs plan to “help end the housing supply shortage” that includes calling for the construction of 3 million new housing units and stopping Wall Street investors from buying homes in bulk.
Officials said she will propose a new $40 billion innovation fund — doubling that of the $20 billion Biden-Harris proposed innovation fund — that will be used for local governments to fund local solutions to build housing and support “innovative” methods of construction financing. It will also allow for certain federal lands to be eligible to be repurposed for new housing developments.
“Harris will work in partnership with workers and the private sector to build the housing the country needs, both to rent and to buy, and take down barriers that stand in the way of building new housing, including at the state and local level. This will make rents and mortgages cheaper,” according to the campaign.
Harris is also proposing two acts, the Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act and the Stop Predatory Investing Act to help bring down the cost of rent. These acts aim to take on “corporate and major landlords” to stop them from “jacking” up prices.
(NEW YORK) — Are a 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider and a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California enough to convince wealthy collectors to shell out millions of dollars at California’s Monterey Car Week?
As thousands descend on Monterey and Carmel for the world’s largest car event, deep-pocketed collectors have pulled back their spending on vintage and classic cars in the past year. Some insiders worry the recent stock market turmoil and murmurs of a potential recession may have convinced interested buyers to instead wait out the uncertainty.
Five auction houses — RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams, Mecum, Broad Arrow and Gooding & Company — have assembled more than 500 vintage and rare cars for serious collectors and enthusiasts to bid on starting Thursday. Some cars could fetch $5 million, or even $30 million. At least 150 may soon be worth seven figures.
“We have all seen a tougher market in 2024. The market is normalizing after pent-up demand during COVID,” Bryon Madsen, president of RM Sotheby’s, told ABC News. “Geo-political events have more influence on the mindsets of buyers [than] any economic indicators. The U.S. election, regardless of who wins, will have an impact.”
RM Sotheby’s is offering 201 cars this year, nearly the same number as 2023. Twenty cars could sell in the $2 million to $5 million range, Madsen said, noting that a 1995 Ferrari F50 “could do well above its estimate” of $4.5 million to $5 million.
“Investing in cars … has proven positive over several decades,” he said. “Automobiles have long been regarded as alternative assets, as well as an inflation hedge. Cash exists with the buyers in this market.”
According to Hagerty Automotive Intelligence, this year’s Monterey auctions could rake in a combined $459 million. Last year the auction receipts totaled $403 million, down from $471 million in 2022.
McKeel Hagerty, the CEO of Hagerty, an automotive enthusiast brand that also owns Broad Arrow, said once-in-a-lifetime consignments, such as the 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider from Gooding & Co., will draw strong demand and bidding. He said he’s optimistic that buyers will spend as usual when the cars roll up to the auction stage.
“The stock market volatility can be correlated with Monterey sales … sometimes these market conditions result in folks pulling back and waiting while sometimes they encourage enthusiasts to deploy capital in nonpecuniary ways,” he told ABC News. “The classic car market is about 10% below its December 2022 peak so it’s already had a healthy reset.”
He added, “Why not own, drive and enjoy a classic if stock market returns are going to be flat? We’re just going to have to wait-and-see a few more days.”
Even the rising cost of buying a hotel room is Monterey and paying hundreds — if not thousands — for a ticket to the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours or The Quail have done little to dissuade enthusiasts from attending these famous events, according to Bring a Trailer founder Randy Nonnenberg.
“I hear people saying, ‘I am coming, I missed it last year,'” he told ABC News. “It’s not a financial decision … people will find a way to come to Pebble. Automakers are using Monterey as the primary place to release cars and that brings a different audience and a different energy. There are way more eyes on Monterey than in the past and bigger visibility leads to bigger auction results.”
Sandra Button, chairman of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, pointed out that automotive fans will make the pilgrimage to Pebble “even in a year when car values are going down.”
She said she tries to make her show “accessible as much as possible” to all enthusiasts and attendance on Sunday could reach 20,000, on par with previous years. Moreover, there will be 215 cars on the show field — including 50 from outside the country — a sign, she said, that investors are returning to Pebble in force.
“We sold out on hotel rooms and VIP tickets,” she told ABC News. “The collectors are getting younger and there’s a generational shift happening. The balance of cars shown is shifting to post war. There is a 125-year span of cars on the field — that has never happened before.”
Eric Minoff, a vice president at Bonhams, said 2024 could still be a banner year for car auctions, even though prices have been flat since January. Last year Bonhams sold a 1967 Ferrari 412P Berlinetta for $30.25 million, the top-selling car that entire week. Minoff said he hopes he can replicate that success this year.
“If the COVID period taught us anything, it’s that there’s value to get away from everywhere else,” he told ABC News. “Cars give you an opportunity to escape everything else that’s going on. There are plenty of folks still eager to buy cars.”
Fisher-Price is recalling over 366,000 dumbbell toys that were sold as part of the brand’s Baby Biceps Gift Set. — United States Consumer Product Safety Commission
(NEW YORK) — Toy giant Fisher-Price is recalling hundreds of thousands of dumbbell toys due to a potential choking hazard.
The dumbbell toys were included in the Fisher-Price Baby Biceps Gift Set, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the recall on Thursday. About 366,200 recalled units were sold in the United States, with another 37,850 sold in Canada.
Fisher-Price states on its recall website that the gray caps on the dumbbell toys can separate, leading to a potential choking hazard for infants. The company recommends taking away recalled toys from kids immediately.
The CPSC states that the dumbbell toys were sold between April 2020 through August 2024 and were part of Fisher-Price’s Baby Biceps Gift Set, which includes three additional toys and is marketed as suitable for children ages 3 months and up.
According to Fisher-Price and the CPSC, the dumbbell component features a plastic gray bar and red and orange plastic “weights” with gray caps on each side of the bar. The recalled dumbbell toys bear the model number GJD49 on the back of the kettlebell toy in the gift set.
The toys were manufactured in China and Vietnam and sold in the U.S. at stores nationwide, according to the CPSC. The toys were sold at Buy Buy Baby, Fred Meyer, Hobby Lobby, Kohls, Marshalls, Target, TJMaxx and Walmart stores and online at Amazon.com, Target.com, Walmart.com, Zulily.com and other websites, retailing for about $18.
Fisher-Price says it has received seven reports of incidents where the gray caps separated from the toy, but has not received any reports of injuries as a result of the incidents.
Customers with the recalled dumbbell toys can reach out to Fisher-Price for a $10 refund on the company’s recall website, which also provides instructions on how to dispose of the recalled toys. Fisher-Price says a receipt or proof of purchase is not required to receive a refund for the dumbbell toy.
ABC News has reached out to Fisher-Price for comment.
