Since we’re on the topic of recalls, I thought I’d mention that there is a mass recall of Wolfgang Puck’s self-heating lattes.
Have you seen these things?
I remember passing a stack of them in the cereal aisle at my local King Soopers.
I picked one up, hefted it, and thought… Why in the world would anyone buy a product that is so offensively wasteful?
Each can is surprisingly heavy. In fact (and this is ironic), it feels like it could be a grenade. Pop the top and chuck it as far as you can! :-)
Anyway, the whole thing has turned sour since the self-heating lattes really are exploding. Apparently a few consumers have been badly burned.
If you have any Wolfgang Puck self-heating lattes, get rid of them now. Otherwise, you may become an unsuspecting burn victim.
Get the complete Engadget story (with photo) here: “Self heating Wolfgang Puck lattes recalled en masse”
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Um, that is insane. How on earth does it self heat anyway!
The latte cups self-heat using chemicals. Calcium oxide, to be specific. Calcium oxide is a caustic, corrosive substance commonly used in sewage treatment plants and smokestake scrubbers. Mmmmm.
Ok… That sounds oh-so gross, but it actually removes the impurities. It’s also incorporated into the glass-making and steel manufacturing industries to purify raw materials.
That’s not saying one should ever drink the stuff.
Calcium oxide is used in soldiers’ self-heating MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). The process was developed for the U.S. military in the 1980’s. Some camping supply and emergency food stores carry similar products. For example, get a load of this product and its name: INFERNO. I’m actually amazed that more companies haven’t tried to utilize this technology.
I recently heard that Wolfgang Puck’s company is planning to sue the packaging company because they [supposedly] changed the cups –apparently for the worse– without notifying Puck’s people. That might just be gossip. Time will tell.
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