WASHINGTON As predicted by federal officials, food processor recalls are starting to mount in the case of a flavor enhancer that may be contaminated with salmonella, including three in the foodservice space since March 8.
Consumer products sold in grocery and specialty stores, online and even in doctor’s offices are behind the lion’s share of recalls by more than two dozen firms. The recalls began in February and are associated with the discovery of a salmonella contamination at a hydrolyzed vegetable protein, or HVP, plant operated by Basic Food Flavors Inc. of Las Vegas.
Foodservice products are scattered among the recalls and likely will be among others that could be announced for some time because the HVP produced by Basic Food Flavors was purchased by a number of food processors and several suppliers to such companies, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA’s Jeff Farrar has said that the potential saving grace of the salmonella-based HVP recall -- to which no illnesses have yet been tied -- is that many of the products using Basic Food Flavors’ HVP include a salmonella kill step in secondary production processes. The very small amount of HVP typically used in processed food might also be a reason why no illnesses have been linked to the contamination problem, the FDA said.
Foodservice products recalled this week for possible HVP contamination include:
-Windsor Foods, a firm with operations in Lampasas, Texas, and Oakland, Miss., is recalling 1.7 million pounds of ready-to-eat beef taquito and chicken quesadilla products. These products were distributed to foodservice and retail establishments nationwide, the company said. Click here for the FDA's release.
-Nestle Professional North America of Cleveland, Ohio, is recalling 6,000 pounds of a ready-to-eat bacon base product under the “Minor’s Bacon Base” label. The company said its product was sold nationwide to distributors and restaurants. Click here for the release.
-Emmi-Roth Kase USA of Monroe, Wis., is recalling all Spreadables brand Crab Creole and Shrimp Scampi cheese spreads. The company said internal testing of samples of Spreadables finished products containing HVP came back negative for salmonella, but that it was recalling the products as a precaution. Click here for the company's statement.
Information about the HVP-related recall is available at http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/recalls/index.html, where there are links to a list of recalled products, a searchable database of such products and links to manufacturer recall announcements.
The HVP salmonella recall comes as federal and state officials continue to follow a separate, multi-state salmonella Montevideo outbreak that has sickened 245 people in 44 states and the District of Columbia between July 4, 2009 and Feb. 16, 2010.
Research into the salmonella Montevideo outbreak suggested that salami was a possible source and implicated selected sausage products from Daniele International Inc. that are sold through retail channels, leading to a series of recalls that began Jan. 23. Daniele of Pascoag, R.I., said in a February letter to customers and consumers that it recalled some of its products because both red and black pepper supplied by an outside company used on its foods had tested positive for salmonella contamination.
Concerns about salmonella Montevideo contamination on Feb.25, also led Wholesome Spice of Brooklyn, N.Y., to recall 25-pound boxes of crushed red pepper that were sold between April 6, 2009, and January 20, 2010, directly to commercial customers, who may have incorporated them into their own products. The FDA said it is working with Wholesome Spice to identify the customers who received the recalled product and determine if further recalls are necessary.
Contact Alan J. Liddle at [email protected].
