Consumer columnist and West Hartford resident Harlan Levy has more than 20 years of experience writing stories about everyday experiences that anyone could encounter.

Harlan Levy holding his 3-month-old grandson. Courtesy photo

By Harlan Levy

Thanksgiving at our house this year gathers our son, his wife, their two daughters (6 and 2), our daughter, her husband, their son (4 months), and daughter (3), and little snippy dog Luna for six days of feasting … and chaos of course.

This year, with E.coli infections on the rise from a variety of food sources, extra precautions from the supermarket to the kitchen to the table to the clean-up are necessary, according the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which issued these guidelines, which many of you may already know:

• Shopping: Pack frozen or fresh turkey and other perishables in your fridge as soon as you get home.
• Thawing: Allow 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds. Put the turkey in a container or dish to contain juices that may leak. For thawing in cold water, allow 30 minutes per pound. Submerge the wrapped turkey into the cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes until the turkey is fully thawed. Once thawed, cook the turkey immediately.
• Preparing: Separate the turkey and its juices from foods that won’t be cooked. Fully clean and sanitize surfaces that come into contact with the turkey and its juices. If you wash your turkey – which can spread bacteria to your sink and nearby surfaces – fully clean surfaces with soap and water afterwards, and then sanitize using a sanitizing solution.
• Cooking: The turkey must reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165º F measured by a food thermometer in three places – the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the thigh, and the innermost part of the wing. If you stuff the bird, the stuffing must also reach 165º F in its center.
• Serving: Perishable foods sitting at room temperature for more than two hours are unsafe, due to bacterial growth, and must be discarded. Hot foods – turkey, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies – should be kept at or above 140º F in warming trays, chafing dishes, slow cookers, etc. Cold foods – salad, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs, cold dips – must be kept below 40º F. Use trays or bowls over ice.
• Leftovers: Refrigerate within two hours of serving. Discard foods sitting out for more than two hours at room temperature.

Thanksgiving meal. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Pyrex not “Made in the USA”

Did you buy a glass Pyrex measuring cup in around 2021? We did, and now we’re getting a check for part of an $88,000 settlement with the Federal Trade Commission – because they were marketed as “Made in the USA” when they were in fact made in … guess where? China.

Back in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Pyrex seller Instant Brands was overwhelmed with demand for baking items and the glassware. Unable to match demand, the company turned to China without changing the “Made in USA” label, selling more than 110,000 falsely labeled measuring glasses.

“If marketers move their manufacturing outside the United States, even temporarily, they must update their advertising to make it accurate,” FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Sam Levine said.

About 10,259 customers will be compensated within 90 days, Levine said.

This is our Pyrex measuring cup, purchased a few years ago, which was not “Made in America,” as it was fraudulently labeled, but made in China, qualifying us for a nationwide compensatory check. Photo credit: Harlan Levy

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

A close college friend has been suffering from sadly gradually worsening AMD – limiting his ability to read – as well as Parkinson’s. He’s far from alone. The Centers for Disease Control reports that in 2019 an estimated 19.8 million Americans aged 40 years and older were living with some type (dry or wet) of AMD.

Now some good news: The Food and Drug Administration has just authorized the marketing of LumiThera Inc.’s Valeda Light Delivery System. It uses three light emitting diodes that generate light at different wavelengths to treat the patient’s eye. After approximately two years it can provide an average improvement equivalent to around one line on an eye chart.

Better than nothing!

Happy Thanksgiving, folks. Concentrate on the good things in your life and ignore the polarizing prospects ahead.

NOTE: If you have a consumer problem, contact me at [email protected] (“Consumer” in subject line), and, with the power of the press, maybe I can help.

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