5 Dumbest Things on Wall Street: Dec. 11

5. Unilever's Diet Dilemma

NEW YORK (TheStreet) — Take it from us, when Unilever (Stock Quote: UL) says its Slim-Fast ready-to-drink products will help you lose weight, they aren't kidding around.

The Anglo-Dutch consumer products giant said Sunday it is recalling 10 million cans of Slim-Fast in the U.S. and Canada because of a possible bacterial contamination that can cause drinkers to vomit. The company, which did not put a cost on the recall, stressed that the problem is specific to its canned products as opposed to those in powder or snack-bar form.

Unilever said the problem was discovered and the recall ordered after the company conducted a quality test on the canned product. Last Thursday, Unilever's U.S. office said the recall is "due to the possibility of contamination with Bacillus cereus, a micro-organism, which may cause diarrhea and possibly nausea and/or vomiting."

Eureka! It works! After reading that sentence, we've completely lost our appetite.

A Unilever spokeswoman said shipments of the product will resume after the problem has been corrected. In the meantime, weight conscious consumers may want to temporarily try something different for lunch rather than downing a can of Slim-Fast.

Lest they risk losing their lunch entirely.

Dumb-o-meter score: 75 -- No one needs to slim down this fast.