Cuisinart food processor recall: Grate, chop and mix by hand

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When eating fish, it’s expected that there might be a small bone that was missed. A shard of metal is another story. It’s never to be expected and can cause serious cuts and broken teeth.

While occasional food recalls are due to contamination during processing, the recent Cuisinart recall is one of the largest on record and affects eight million food processors (22 models sold between 1996 and 2015). The S-shaped riveted blades are prone to cracking. Small pieces of metal from the blades can then end up in food.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has received 69 reports with 30 of the cases involving injuries. More complaints have yet to be reviewed, so the number of injuries could increase.

Why the delays

Over the years, customers have complained. The New York Times found that a report was posted on the commission’s safety complaint website as early as March 2011. Warnings appeared on Amazon in 2012.

The blades were made in China, but there is no explanation for why they start to break down. After the recall became public many home chefs started examining their blades only to find hairline cracks extending from the rivets or chipped blades. Many took to social media to post pictures.

Free replacement blades, but not until after the holidays

The company will provide free replacement blades. Will they arrive in time for holiday cooking? Probably not, is the unfortunate answer. The phone line set up was apparently redirecting to a Virginia woman, who had to tell many Cuisinart owners they had the wrong number. The website has also been unable to process claims.

Some cooks interviewed planned to keep using their food processors and inspect the blades as they prepared meals. Other advice was to go back to chopping and mixing by hand.

Take every precaution to avoid injuries this holiday. If a loved one does suffer a mouth injury and a piece of metal is the culprit, speak to a products liability attorney. Determining the cause is the first step in holding a company to account. It is also necessary to ensure that the same thing does not happen to others.

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