Thread: FDA asks cos. to recall 30 products due to food additive

By Jared A. Favole and Alicia Mundy

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked a variety of food companies to recall more than 30 products, from vegetable dips to soups, that contain a commonly used food additive that has tested positive for salmonella.

The FDA said no injuries have been reported related to the recall. Products being recalled include pre-packaged foods made by Earth Island, tortilla soup mix made by Homemade Gourmet and chicken soup base made by Castella Imports.

The FDA said these products contain a flavor-enhancing ingredient called hydrolyzed vegetable protein, or HVP, that is used in commercially processed foods. The FDA said the HVP came from one company, Basic Food Flavors Inc. of Las Vegas.

-By Jared A. Favole, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9207; jared.favole@ dowjones.com

-By Alicia Mundy, The Wall Street Journal; 202-862-9243

Salmonella-based food flavoring recall is spreading

Updated 48m ago
By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

An unfolding recall of a commonly used flavoring ingredient found in a wide variety of foods could ripple through the entire food industry, experts say.
Four companies have recalled products linked to possible salmonella contamination since Feb. 26. Two were announced Wednesday and one Thursday. Given the broad use of ingredient, more are likely to come.


FOOD SAFETY: USDA vet says unsafe slaughterhouse practices weren't reported
IN USA: Food-borne illnesses cost $152B a year
ON THE WEB: List of recalled products from FDA.gov

Tests show that the product was contaminated with the salmonella tennessee bacteria, which can cause short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. It can cause serious and sometimes deadly infections, especially in children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

The good news is that HVP is used in very small amounts, much as salt would be. "It's a fraction of a fraction of an ingredient," says Schaffner, who is also a spokesman for the Institute of Food Technologists, a non-profit food science society.

"It's probably in many ingredients, but at a low level, which is going to reduce the risk. So it wouldn't surprise me if we never see actual cases," he says.

Despite the fact that Basic Food Flavors' recall goes back to Sept. 17, 2009, no illnesses have been linked to the specific strain found in the product, according to a Food and Drug Administration release.

The bad news is that HVP is such a widely used ingredient that many companies may end up having recall products. "We may see the ripple through the industry as people try to decide what their risk is and what to do about it," Schaffner says.

HVP, made from proteins in grains or soybeans, adds the meaty, savory taste found in cooked meats. It's chemically similar to monosodium glutamate and is commonly used in snack products, soup bases and other processed foods.

So far, recalled foods listed by FDA include:

• French Dip Powdered Au Jus from Johnny's Fine Foods of Tacoma, Wash.

• T. Marzetti brand Veggie Dips from Priority Brands of Markham, Ontario, distributed in Canada and the United States.

• Follow Your Heart Organic Creamy Ranch Dressing & Dip and vegetarian entrees from Earth Island of Chatsworth, Calif.

• Ranch House Dressing, Cheese and Bacon Dip and Redskin Potato salad from Reser's Fine Foods of Beaverton, Ore.

Reser's technical services director, Steve Loehndorf, says Basic Food Flavors issued a product warranty that it had met all USDA requirements.

Earth Island required letters of guarantee verifying that the HVP is was buying was safe, as well as certificates of analysis showing that periodic biological testing of the product had been done, says quality assurance manager Sheena Bliss.

The recall is a huge expense for her company. "Even though we did everything that we could to make our products as safe as possible, obviously the supplier wasn't," Bliss says.

"We're finding out that they were supplying so many people we never knew, they've really got a lot of recalls going on right now," she says.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/201 ... 5_ST_N.htm