A U.S. investigation and recall of a flavor enhancer used in thousands of processed foods is being closely followed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), a flavor enhancer manufactured by Nevada-based Basic Food Flavors Inc., has been found to be contaminated with salmonella bacteria, U.S. officials said last Thursday.
Fifty-six products in the United States and two in Canada—Hawaiian Kettle Style Sweet Maui potato chips and T. Marzetti brand veggie dips—were recalled after being suspected of containing contaminated HVP.
On March 7 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded its list to include 94 products containing the ingredient. The same day, the CFIA said honey mustard Pretzel Bytes by H.K. Anderson and Honey Mustard Pretzels by President’s Choice were recalled by the manufacturers.
The popular flavor enhancer is added to a wide range of foods including dips, chips, salad dressings, chillis, soups, hot dogs, and prepackaged meals.
While the risk to consumers is thought to be low, the contamination could extend through the entire food industry and result in further recalls, Jeffrey Farrar, the FDA’s associate commissioner for food protection, said in a briefing.
“We do suspect the amount of products is going to increase over the next several days or weeks,” he said.
However, if not for the fact that many products containing the ingredient are cooked in the manufacturing process, the recall would be even more extensive. Cooked processed foods contain a step that that kills the salmonella.
The foods that did not include this step will be subject to recall, and the CFIA is working with the FDA to determine which products those are. It is the ready-to-eat foods such as chips or dip that pose a higher risk, the CFIA said.
An investigation by the FDA found salmonella in Basic Food Flavors’ processing equipment after a customer identified a problem last month. The company’s HVP was used in approximately 10,000 products.
There have been no reports of any confirmed illnesses in Canada or the United States related to any of the recalled products. The CFIA says public health officials are looking at previously reported cases of salmonella to determine if there are any links.
Although food contaminated with salmonella may not look or smell bad, eating it can result in salmonellosis which can cause serious or deadly infections in children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems.
In others, salmonellosis can cause short-term, flu-like symptoms such as headache, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Symptoms usually appear 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food and generally last up to seven days.
Although HVP is used in numerous products, it is made by only a handful of big suppliers.
The flavor enhancer is produced by boiling cereals or legumes, such as soy corn, or wheat, in hydrochloric acid and then neutralizing the solution with sodium hydroxide. The acid hydrolyzes, or breaks down, the protein in the grains and legumes into their various component amino acids.
The resulting product contains amino acids including glutamic acid. A similar product is hydrolyzed whey protein, which comes from dairy origin, and MSG, with which consumers may be more familiar.
MSG and HVP, which comes as a powder or paste, are used to give a meaty, savory, or brothy taste to foods.
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), a flavor enhancer manufactured by Nevada-based Basic Food Flavors Inc., has been found to be contaminated with salmonella bacteria, U.S. officials said last Thursday.
Fifty-six products in the United States and two in Canada—Hawaiian Kettle Style Sweet Maui potato chips and T. Marzetti brand veggie dips—were recalled after being suspected of containing contaminated HVP.
On March 7 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded its list to include 94 products containing the ingredient. The same day, the CFIA said honey mustard Pretzel Bytes by H.K. Anderson and Honey Mustard Pretzels by President’s Choice were recalled by the manufacturers.
The popular flavor enhancer is added to a wide range of foods including dips, chips, salad dressings, chillis, soups, hot dogs, and prepackaged meals.
While the risk to consumers is thought to be low, the contamination could extend through the entire food industry and result in further recalls, Jeffrey Farrar, the FDA’s associate commissioner for food protection, said in a briefing.
“We do suspect the amount of products is going to increase over the next several days or weeks,” he said.
However, if not for the fact that many products containing the ingredient are cooked in the manufacturing process, the recall would be even more extensive. Cooked processed foods contain a step that that kills the salmonella.
The foods that did not include this step will be subject to recall, and the CFIA is working with the FDA to determine which products those are. It is the ready-to-eat foods such as chips or dip that pose a higher risk, the CFIA said.
An investigation by the FDA found salmonella in Basic Food Flavors’ processing equipment after a customer identified a problem last month. The company’s HVP was used in approximately 10,000 products.
There have been no reports of any confirmed illnesses in Canada or the United States related to any of the recalled products. The CFIA says public health officials are looking at previously reported cases of salmonella to determine if there are any links.
Although food contaminated with salmonella may not look or smell bad, eating it can result in salmonellosis which can cause serious or deadly infections in children, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems.
In others, salmonellosis can cause short-term, flu-like symptoms such as headache, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Symptoms usually appear 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food and generally last up to seven days.
Although HVP is used in numerous products, it is made by only a handful of big suppliers.
The flavor enhancer is produced by boiling cereals or legumes, such as soy corn, or wheat, in hydrochloric acid and then neutralizing the solution with sodium hydroxide. The acid hydrolyzes, or breaks down, the protein in the grains and legumes into their various component amino acids.
The resulting product contains amino acids including glutamic acid. A similar product is hydrolyzed whey protein, which comes from dairy origin, and MSG, with which consumers may be more familiar.
MSG and HVP, which comes as a powder or paste, are used to give a meaty, savory, or brothy taste to foods.
