The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a recall of a common flavor enhancer that could be contaminated with salmonella bacteria.
The product, called hydrolyzed vegetable proteine, is potentially in thousands of products, including soups, sauces, chilis, stews, hot dogs, gravies, seasoned snack foods, dips and dressings because of the risk of salmonella tainting in the production line. HVP is manufactured by a Las Vegas company.
The FDA is taking steps to protect the public following the early identification of Salmonella Tennessee in one company's supply of HVP. No illnesses have been reported.
"At this point, we are not aware of any human illnesses," said Dr. Ian Williams, acting chief of outbreak response and prevention branch for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In coordination with the CDC, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, plus other federal agencies and state health departments, the FDA is closely monitoring and assessing the potential risks of illness from affected products.
"Our investigators were able to identify this problem before any illnesses occurred, said FDA commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg. "While the investigation is continuing, the agency is supporting reasonable steps to continue to protect the public health."
The manufacturer of the affected product is Basic Food Flavors Inc. in Las Vegas. Only HVP manufactured by Basic Food Flavors is involved in this recall.
The FDA conducted an investigation at the facility after a customer of Basic Food Flavors reported finding Salmonella Tennessee in one production lot of HVP to the new FDA Reportable Food Registry.
FDA collected and analyzed samples at the facility and confirmed the presence of Salmonella Tennessee in the company's processing equipment. The company is recalling all hydrolyzed vegetable protein in powder and paste form that it has produced since Sept. 17, 2009.
"This situation clearly underscores the need for new food safety legislation to equip FDA with the tools we need to prevent contamination," said Dr. Jeff Farrar, associate commissioner for food safety, FDA's Office of Foods.
At this time, FDA is taking several steps to instruct industry and protect consumers from potential Salmonella infection.
FDA is advising industry that the recalled bulk HVP product should be destroyed or reconditioned according to FDA-approved procedures. FDA is also recommending recalls of certain products that might be eaten by consumers without any processing or cooking steps to address the potential risk.
"Our investigation is continuing. We are proceeding with special studies to make sure foods containing those products are safe," Farrar said. "We are working with food manufacturers and distributors to provide guidance on any products that will need to be recalled. We are also creating a Web page to find any recalled products that may be in their pantry."
For list of recalled products, go to
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/HVPCP/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35713702/ns/...od_safety/
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