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Consumers are urged to check their kitchens and pantries after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted a notice that warned about health risks associated with select chowder soups. A recall has been issued for the select chowder soup products due to fears they have the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum. The bacterium can cause a potentially deadly form of food poisoning known as botulism. Heres what you need to know about the recall. Whats happened? The FDA has posted a notice of a voluntary recall being conducted by the SeaBear Company of Anacortes, Washington. SeaBear initiated the recall after the company became concerned that select lots of two of its chowder soup products had the potential to harbor the Clostridium botulinum bacterium. SeaBear initiated the voluntary recall after discovering that there was a pouch sealing issue on the products packaging caused by a mechanical issue with some of the companys equipment. The packaging seal could not be fully bonded, which means some of the chowder soup packages had the ability to leak. Which products are affected? According to SeaBear Company, there are two SeaBear Smokehouse chowder soup products included in this recall. Those products are: Brand: SeaBear Smokehouse Product: SeaBear Salmon Chowder Net wt.12oz. UPC: 0 34507 07001 3 Impacted lot codes: view list here Brand: SeaBear Smokehouse Product: Alehouse Clam Chowder Net wt 12oz. UPC: 0 34507 07021 1 Impacted lot codes: view list here Images of the packaging of the recalled products can be found here. Where were the recalled products sold? SeaBear Company says the recalled products were distributed through physical retail stores in the following states: Alaska California Colorado Oregon Washington The products were also sold nationwide at seabear.com. SeaBear says the impacted products were sold between 10/1/2024 and 03/14/2025. Thankfully, the companys notice states that there have been no reports of illness due to the recalled products so far. What is botulism? Botulism is a type of potentially deadly form of food poisoning. It is caused by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says botulism is a rare but serious illness. There are five types of the diseaseall of which are medical emergencies, according to the agency. What are the symptoms of botulism? There are five types of botulism, but the CDC says that all five types have some of the same symptoms, including: Difficulty swallowing Muscle weakness Double vision Drooping eyelids Blurry vision Slurred speech Difficulty breathing Difficulty moving the eyes Foodborne botulism symptoms may also have the following symptoms: Vomiting Nausea Stomach pain Diarrhea Botulism may occur in adults, children, and infants. In infants, symptoms of botulism may also include: Constipation Poor feeding Drooping eyelids Pupils that are slow to react to light Face showing less expression than usual Weak cry that sounds different than usual What do I do if I have the recalled products? SeaBears recall notice says that those who have the recalled chowder soup products in their possession should not consume them. Instead, owners of the products should contact SeaBears customer service team for a full refund. SeaBears customer service contact phone number is 1-800-645-3474; the email is smokehouse@seabear.com. Full details of the product recall can be found here.
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E-Commerce
Shopping for a new home? Ready to renovate your kitchen or install a new deck? You’ll be paying more to do so.The Trump administration’s tariffs on imported goods from Canada, Mexico and China some already in place, others set to take effect in a few weeks are already driving up the cost of building materials used in new residential construction and home remodeling projects.The tariffs are projected to raise the costs that go into building a single-family home in the U.S. by $7,500 to $10,000, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Such costs are typically passed along to the homebuyer in the form of higher prices, which could hurt demand at a time when the U.S. housing market remains in a slump and many builders are having to offer buyers costly incentives to drum up sales.We Buy Houses in San Francisco, which purchases foreclosed homes and then typically renovates and sells them, is increasing prices on its refurbished properties between 7% and 12%. That’s even after saving $52,000 in costs by stockpiling 62% more Canadian lumber than usual.“The uncertainty of how long these tariffs will continue has been the most challenging aspect of our planning,” said CEO Mamta Saini. Bad timing for builders The timing of the tariffs couldn’t be worse for homebuilders and the home remodeling industry, as this is typically the busiest time of year for home sales. The prospect of a trade war has roiled the stock market and stoked worries about the economy, which could lead many would-be homebuyers to remain on the sidelines.“Rising costs due to tariffs on imports will leave builders with few options,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. “They can choose to pass higher costs along to consumers, which will mean higher home prices, or try to use less of these materials, which will mean smaller homes.”Prices for building materials, including lumber, have been rising, even though the White House has delayed its tariffs rollout on some products. Lumber futures jumped to $658.71 per thousand board feet on March 4, reaching their highest level in more than two years.The increase is already inflating costs for construction projects.Dana Schnipper, a partner at building materials supplier JC Ryan in Farmingdale, New York, sourced wooden doors and frames for an apartment complex in Nassau County from a company in Canada that cost less than the American equivalent.Half the job has already been supplied. But once the tariff goes into effect it will be applied to the remaining $75,000, adding $19,000 to the at-cost total. Once JC Ryan applies its mark up, that means the customer will owe $30,000 more than originally planned, Schnipper said.He also expects the tariffs will give American manufacturers cover to raise prices on steel components.“These prices will never come down,” Schnipper said. “Whatever is going to happen, these things will be sticky and hopefully we’re good enough as a small business, that we can absorb some of that. We can’t certainly absorb all of it, so I don’t know. It’s going to be an interesting couple of months.”Sidestepping the tariffs by using an alternative to imported building materials isn’t always an option.Bar Zakheim, owner of Better Place Design & Build, a contracting business in San Diego that specializes in building accessible dwelling units, or ADUs, said Canada remains the best source for lumber.By sticking with imported lumber, Zakheim had to raise his prices about 15% compared with a year ago. He also has 8% fewer jobs lined up compared with last year.“I’m not about to go out of business, but it’s looking to be a slow, expensive year for us,” he said. Tariffs rollercoaster On March 6, the Trump administration announced a one-month delay on its 25% tariffs on certain imports from Mexico and Canada, including softwood lumber. Tariffs of 20% on imports from China are already in effect. A 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports50% on those from Canadakicked in on March 12.Tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods slated to go into effect next month will raise the cost of imported construction materials by more than $3 billion, according to the NAHB. Those price hikes would be in addition to a 14.5% tariff on Canadian lumber previously imposed by the U.S., ratcheting up tariffs on Canadian lumber to 39.5%.On Air Force One, President Donald Trump said he was pushing forward with his plans for tariffs on April 2 despite recent disruption in the stock market and nervousness about the economic impact.“April 2 is a liberating day for our country,” he said. “We’re getting back some of the wealth that very, very foolish presidents gave away because they had no clue what they were doing.”Building materials costs overall are already up 34% since December 2020, according to the NAHB.Builders depend on raw materials, appliances and many other components produced abroad. About 7.3% of all products used in single-family home and apartment building construction are imported. Of those, nearly a quarter come from Canada and Mexico, according to the NAHB.Both nations also account for 70% of the imports of two key home construction materials: lumber and gypsum. Canadian lumber is used in everything from framing to cabinetry and furniture. Mexican gypsum is used to make drywall.Beyond raw materials, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, and an array of other home components are manufactured in Mexico and China, which is also a key source of steel and aluminum.The tariffs will mean higher prices for home improvement shoppers, said Dent Johnson, president of True Value Hardware, which operates more than 4,000 independently owned hardware stores.“The reality is that many products on the shelves of your local hardware store will eventually be affected,” he said in a statement emailed to the Associated Press. Chilling effect Confusion over the timing and scope of the tariffs, and their impact on the economy, could have a bigger chilling effect on the new-home market than higher prices.“If consumers can’t plan, if builders can’t plan, it gets very difficult to know how to price product because you don’t know what price you need to move it,” said Carl Reichardt, a homebuilding analyst at BTIG. “If people are worried about their jobs, worried about the future, it’s very difficult to make the decision to buy a new home, whatever the price.”The uncertainty created by the Trump administration’s tariffs policy will probably result in increased volatility for home sales and new home construction this year, said Robert Dietz, the NAHB’s chief economist.Still, because it can take several months for a home to be built, the larger impact of from building materials costs are going to happen “down the road,” Dietz said.The impact tariffs are having on consumers is already evident at Slutsky Lumber in Ellenville, N.Y.“There ar not as many people getting ready for spring like they usually are,” said co-owner Jonathan Falcon. “It seems like people are just cutting back on spending.”Falcon also worries that smaller businesses like his will have a tough time absorbing the impact of the tariffs.“This is just like another thing that’s going to be harder for small lumber yards to handle than the big guys and just sort of keep driving businesses like us to not make it,” he said.__Reporter Anne D’Innocenzio contributed. Alex Vega and Mae Anderson, AP Business Writers
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E-Commerce
Forever 21 is facing another bankruptcy. The company that operates the fast-fashion retail brand, called F21 OpCo, LLC, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Delaware court. And while it plans to close its U.S. stores and hold going-out-of-business sales, there is still a chance for a sale that could keep some operations running. For now, Forever 21 stores and its website will stay open as the company sells off inventory and looks for buyers. The move mirrors a similar one made recently by Joann, the beloved arts and fabric chain, which had initially hoped to keep its stores operating before ultimately deciding to liquidate and shut its doors for good. Like Joann, Forever 21 is now in its second bankruptcy; it also filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2019, just months before the pandemic. What happens next for Forever 21? The apparel retailer is seeking a buyer to keep parts of the business alive rather than shutting down completely, although there’s no guarantee that will happen. As Forever 21 explained in a press release, “In the event of a successful sale, the Company may pivot away from a full wind down of operations to facilitate a going-concern transaction.” This means that if someone buys the business, Forever 21 might not shut down completely. Fast Company has reached out to Forever 21 for comment. The company has faced increasing competition from cheaper and faster brands, in particular China-based Temu and Shein. Forever 21 inked a deal with the latter of those brands in 2023 that would allow its clothes to be sold on the platform. In addition to competition, the company also cited rising costs and changing shopping habits as reasons for its precarious financial situation. Once a go-to store for trendy, affordable fashion, Forever 21 has struggled to keep up with online retailers and brands that move faster in the digital world. Forever 21’s international stores, which are run by different companies, are not affected by the bankruptcy. But in the United States, the future of Forever 21 depends on whether a buyer steps in. If not, this could truly mark the end of a fast-fashion era.
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E-Commerce
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