The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with California Innovations, Inc., is recalling a food carrier because of the freezer gel pack included with the boxes, which can leak. The packs contain diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, both poisons. They present a poisoning hazard if ingested.
Consumers are urged to stop using the gel packs immediately; in fact, if you discard them, contact your local waste disposal authority for instructions because the packs contain poisonous material.
The set is the Travelin’ Chef Expandable Thermal Food Carrier imported by California Innovations, Inc. of Toronto, Canada. These sets, 55,000 of them, were sold at WalMart for $22.00 from August 2008 to December 2011. Another set by California Innovations, The Ci Sport Insulated Expandable Lunch Box Set, is being recalled for the same reason.
A spokesman from the Poison Control Center at the University of Kansas said that the chemicals can cause kidney damage and that they are similar to the chemicals in antifreeze. He also said that children should not lick or suck on the packs; if they do, call poison control at 1-800-222-1222 and they’ll assist you.
Product details:
- Four piece food carrier set
- Light blue thermal carrier with black carrying handles made of vinyl and polyester
- Code “1-38018-69-07” printed on a white label on the inside of the main compartment on the left hand side.
- Thermal carrier is 18″ x 10.5″ x 4.7″
- A medium plastic food container that is 9.75″ x 6.25″ x 3.5″
- A large plastic food container that is 11.75″ x 8.75″ x 3.5″
- A freezer gel pack that is 8.5″ x 8″, opaque blue plastic pouch filled with liquid gel and the words “Cryofreeze” and “Ice Pack/Hot Pack” printed in white letters.
- The product was manufactured in China
You can return the gel pack to WalMart for a $6.00 refund or contact California Innovations for a refund. For questions, call California Innovations at 1-800-722-2545 Monday through Friday from 9:00 am and 5:00 EST.
If you or anyone you know has been injured by this product, you can contact the the CPSC at Safer Products.gov or call 1-800-638-2772. Under federal law, it is illegal to attempt to sell or resell this or any other recalled product.
