River Ranch Recalls Bagged Salads Due To Possible Listeria

River Ranch Fresh Foods, LLC of Salinas, CA is initiating a voluntary recall of retail and foodservice bagged salads, because they have the potential of being contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes following routine random retail salad finished product tests conducted in the marketplace by the Food & Drug Administration.

CFTC Approves Extended Trading Hours For Grain and Oilseed

CHICAGO, Illinois -- CME group announced today it received approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to offer expanded electronic trading hours in its CBOT grain and oilseed futures and options beginning Sunday, May 20 for Monday, May 21 trade date. Hours will expand from the current 17 hours per day to 21 hours per day on CME Globex from 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT Sunday to Friday.

Brevard County Unemployment Rate Drops To 9%

BREVARD COUNTY, Florida --Brevard County's unemployment dropped from 9.5% in March 2012 to 9% in April 2012  (not seasonally adjusted).  The drop in the unemployment rate was due to a combined factor of a large reduction in the labor force along with modest job creation on Florida's Space Coast. 

In March, there were 265,087 people in Brevard County's labor force of which 239,936 were employed.

In April, there were 263,783 people in Brevard County's labor force of which 240,027 were employed.

FDA Approves Generic Versions of Blood Thinner Plavix

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved generic versions of the blood thinning drug Plavix (clopidogrel bisulfate), which helps reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by making it less likely that platelets in the blood will clump and form clots in the arteries.

Clopidogrel is FDA-approved to treat patients who have had a recent heart attack or a recent stroke, or have partial or total blockage of an artery (peripheral artery disease).

AAA: Memorial Day Travel To Increase In Florida Region

COCOA BEACH, Florida -- AAA projects 34.8 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, an increase of 1.2 percent – or 500,000 travelers – from the 34.3 million people who traveled one year ago.  The Memorial Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, May 24 to Monday, May 28.

AAA also says that when it comes to travel by region, the South Atlantic Region will also see a 1.2 percent increase in line with the national average.  Florida contributes 41.2 percent of tourism output to the South Atlantic tourism industry.  So this expected increase in South Atlantic regional Memorial Day travel is generally good news for the tourism industry surrounding the Orlando, Florida theme parks and nearby Brevard County beaches such as Cocoa Beach on Florida's Space Coast.

Hydromorphone Hydrochloride Injection Recall

Hydromorphone Hydrochloride Injection 1 MG/ML, (C-II) 1 ML Fill In 2.5 ML Carpuject: Recall - May Contain More Than the Intended Fill Volume

AUDIENCE: Risk Manager, Consumer

ISSUE: Hospira, Inc. notified healthcare professionals of a recall of one lot of Hydromorphone Hydrochloride Injection 1 MG/ML, due to reports of a single Carpuject containing more than the 1 mL labeled fill volume. Opioid pain medications such as Hydromorphone have life-threatening consequences if overdosed, including respiratory depression (slowed breathing or suspension of breathing), low blood pressure, and reduced heart rate including circulatory collapse.

The affected lot number is 07547LL, with an expiration date of July 1, 2013. The affected lot was distributed in September – October 2011. It was initially distributed to wholesalers and a limited number of hospitals in Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.

BACKGROUND: The affected product is a prefilled glass cartridge for use with the Carpuject Syringe system.

RECOMMENDATION: Anyone with an existing inventory should stop use and distribution, quarantine the product immediately, and call Stericycle at 1-888-912-7093 to arrange for the return of the product. Replacement product from other lots is available. Customers can send their DEA 222 form to Hospira, 1635 Stone Ridge Drive, Stone Mountain, GA 30083 to order replacement product.

Consumers should contact their physician or healthcare provider if they have experienced any problems that may be related to taking or using this product.
Healthcare professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of these products to the FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program:

• Complete and submit the report Online: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm
• Download form or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178