The company had a similar service disruption in August

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Reports of a new Verizon outage surfaced early Thursday, October 9, with customers seeing SOS mode and failed calls/texts.

• Impact appears scattered across multiple U.S. cities based on live user-report heatmaps, while Verizons status pages offer localized checks.

• The company had similar disruptions in late August; todays cause was not immediately clear.

A new wave of connectivity problems hit some Verizon customers in the early hours of Thursday, October 9, with user reports describing phones stuck in SOS mode, failed voice calls, and messages that wouldnt send.

An early post flagging the disruption timestamped around 12:41 a.m. ET circulated overnight, and additional reports accumulated through the morning. Reports suggest service had largely been restored by 3 am ET.

While Verizon had not issued a broad, public incident summary at press time, customers could only verify service on a location-by-location basis via the companys network status pages. Those portals advise users to sign in and check current availability or attempt standard troubleshooting steps.

Live outage-tracking sites that aggregate crowdsourced complaints showed clusters of reports in multiple metro areas, suggesting the impact was widespread but uneven. Because these sources rely on voluntary submissions, their maps are best read as signal, not censususeful for spotting trends but not definitive on scope.

What we know

• Symptoms: Users describe devices showing SOS/SOS Only status and difficulty placing calls or using mobile dataconsistent with major carrier disruptions.

• Timing: Initial alerts referenced shortly after 12:40 a.m. ET; additional reports followed overnight into Thursday morning.

• Verification: Verizons public tools presently direct customers to individualized status checks rather than a national incident banner.

Context: August outage looms large

Todays issues arrive on the heels of a late-August outage that Verizon attributed to a software issue, which produced tens of thousands of reports and left many phones in SOS mode for hours before service improved.

That episode is relevant because initial user symptoms today closely resemble those seen in August, though no root cause had been confirmed for the October 9 disruption at press time.

What customers can try

• Restart the phone and toggle Airplane Mode for 3060 seconds to force a fresh network attach.

• If you see SOS Only, try Settings Cellular Network Selection and re-select your carrier, or remove/re-insert the SIM/eSIM profile if prompted.

• Check Verizons network status for your zip code and keep Wi-Fi calling enabled where available.

Regulators say they are the latest food products that may be tainted with listeria

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• FSIS issued a public health alert for certain because the riced cauliflower ingredient may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes (Lm).

• No illnesses have been confirmed and the items are no longer being sold, but they could still be in home fridges or freezers.

• Consumers should not eat the affected meals; throw them away or return them to the store.

The U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert for two ready-to-eat meal products produced by FreshRealm after the riced cauliflower used in them tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes (Lm). FSIS did not request a recall because these items are no longer available for purchase, but the agency is concerned they may still be in consumers homes.

Check your refrigerator and freezer for the following:

• DISH by Blue Apron Cheesy Chicken Mac with Vegetables, 13.05-oz plastic tray
  Lot codes: 25240, 25247
  Est. number on label: P-3081

• BALANCE by Marley Spoon BBQ Sauce Beef Meatballs with Cheesy Cauliflower, 10.5-oz package
  Lot code: 25255
  Est. number on label: Est. 47718

If you have any of these products, do not eat them. Throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.

The alert follows recent recalls of various food products that have been tainted with listeria. FSIS most recently reported the recall of Hello Fresh meals due to listeria concerns.

Why this matters

Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection. People at highest risk include older adults, those with weakened immune systems, and pregnant people and their newborns.

Symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions; stomach symptoms like diarrhea may come first. In pregnancy, listeriosis can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or severe illness in the newborn. Anyone in a higher-risk group who develops flu-like symptoms within two months of eating a potentially contaminated food should seek medical care and mention the exposure. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics.

What to do now

1. Check your lot codes and establishment numbers against the list above.

2. Discard or return any matching itemsdont taste or reheat them to test safety.

3. Clean and sanitize any surfaces, shelves, or containers that may have touched the product.

4. Monitor your health, especially if youre in a higher-risk group. Contact a healthcare provider if symptoms develop.

Questions or help

• FreshRealm customer service: 1-888-244-1562 or customerservice@freshrealm.com

• USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline: 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or MPHotline@usda.gov

• Report a meat, poultry, or egg product problem: Use the USDAs Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System (available 24/7).

FSIS says the alert is not connected to any ongoing outbreak investigations, and there have been no confirmed reports of illness associated with these meals. Still, if the products are in your home, the safest move is to ditch them and clean up.

Recalls rise, trust falls: Inside Americas food safety anxiety

• Americans worry about the safety of their food supply, wiith public confidence at its lowest ebb ever.
• It's estimated that one in six Americans fall ill with food-related illnesses every year.
• Recent government cutbacks have reduced the number of food safety inspections.

Food recalls dominate the headlines and Americans gravitate to stories about food safety. In the last two weeks, the most widely read news stories on ConsumerAffairs have dealt with frozen shrimp recalls, fishy products at Costco and tainted meals at Trader Joe's.

Thelist goes on: Frozen strawberries tainted with hepatitis A. Deli meats recalled over Listeria. Bags of salad greens pulled for E. coli. Its no wonder Americans are anxious about whats on their plates.

In fact, in the latest Food & Health Survey from the International Food Information Council, foodborne illness topped the list of consumer worries, overtaking pesticides, additives, and chemicals. Confidence in the U.S. food supply, meanwhile, has sunk to a record low.

Each recall seems to confirm what people already feel: that the food system isnt as safe as it should be.

Consumers aren't alone. Experts are sounding the alarm, especially after cutbacks and layoffs resulting from the government shutdown and earlier staff reductions."Our federal food safety system is teetering on the brink of a collapse," saidSarah Sorscher, a policy expert at theCenter for Science in the Public Interest,in a recentNPR report.

The real toll of foodborne illness

Behind the headlines lies a persistent reality. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 9.9 million illnesses, 53,000 hospitalizations, and nearly 1,000 deaths each year can be traced to seven common foodborne pathogens.

Earlier CDC estimates, using broader methods, put the toll higher as many as 1 in 6 Americans sickened annually, with 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. The discrepancy reflects changes in surveillance, not a sudden drop in illness.

The bottom line: foodborne illness is a fact of life in America, and millions of consumers have lived through it. Even mild cases of vomiting, cramps, or diarrhea leave an impression, and those personal stories ripple through families, workplaces, and social media.

Is food getting more dangerous?

Experts say its complicated.

On one hand, food may appear riskier because detection has improved. Whole-genome sequencing now allows health departments to link scattered illnesses to a single contaminated batch. Companies are required to announce recalls more quickly, and the internet amplifies every alert.

On the other hand, modern food systems do carry new vulnerabilities. Centralized processing plants and globalized supply chains mean that one contaminated batch can sicken people across dozens of states. Recalls have shifted in character too: more than 90% now stem from biological contamination or undeclared allergens.

And recent years have brought an uptick in the most serious, Class I recalls those involving products likely to cause severe illness or death.

Why the fear feels personal

Surveys and surveillance data suggest that most adults have had at least one episode of foodborne illness in their lifetime, whether or not it was officially diagnosed.

That lived experience, combined with relentless news coverage, fuels public anxiety. Unlike abstract risks such as chemical residues, food poisoning is visceral painful, disruptive, and sometimes life-threatening.

The road ahead

The U.S. food safety system has improved in many ways, with better testing, stricter standards, and faster recalls. But challenges remain.

• Budget cuts have already reducedactive surveillance by health agencies. From tracking eight pathogens, CDC is down to just two.

• Consolidation in food processing means contamination can affect millions of units at once.

• Climate change may expand the range and seasonality of pathogens, adding stress to the system.

For now, outbreaks and recalls are likely to remain a fact of life and public unease, grounded in both statistics and experience, will not fade easily.

The retailer is helping shoppers prepare for the holiday season early

• BJs is kicking off the holiday season early with a curated list of 2025s top toys many of them BJs exclusives backed by attractive pricing and deals.

• Shoppers can take advantage of free shipping on all toys, plus flexible fulfillment options like curbside pickup, in-club pickup, and same-day delivery.

• The list features a mix of familiar brands (LEGO, Hot Wheels, Barbie) and trending toys like Little Live Pets and Bluey playsets.

The holiday toy hunt is officially underway at BJs Wholesale Club, and this years lineup is something to watch especially if youre looking to get ahead of the crowds.

BJs has released what it calls the Must-Have Toys of 2025, mixing exclusive items with fan favorites all sold at competitive prices, with free toy shipping included.

Holiday shoppers are beginning earlier than ever this year, and BJs is offering unbeatable savings so members can beat the crowds and make sure they get the seasons hottest toys, Dion Evans, Senior Vice President, General Merchandise, BJs Wholesale Club, said in a news release.

We know our members will love our assortment, along with the incredible value and convenience BJs offers.

Whats on the list?

As for the toys themselves, the offerings are generous and wide-ranging. The list includes both staples and surprises:

• BJs exclusive picks like Little Live Pets: Mama Surprise Families, Disney Princess Cinderella Carriage & Doll, Play-Doh Fridge Fun Kitchen Playset, GUND PAW Patrol 6-Inch Plush Multipack, and Barbie Dream Closet Playset.

• Popular non-exclusive staples such as LEGO Botanical Collection Hibiscus Flower and Hot Wheels Loop & Launch Track Set also make the cut.

• Family-friendly choices like Bluey Ice Cream Truck Vehicle & Figures Playset and Maisto F1 RC Car with Bonus Track bring fun for different age groups.

BJs isnt just positioning itself as a toy seller its framing itself as a one-stop holiday shop. Seasonal dcor, groceries, home essentials, and gifts are all part of the mix.