Salmonella food ingredient recall 'could affect more than 10,000 products'

The number of products affected by the salmonella contamination of a popular food ingredient in the US could top 10,000, according to the most recent estimates.

Nevada-based manufacturer Basic Food Flavors reported that contamination of a hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) last Thursday (March 4th), led to many processed foods being recalled.

At the beginning of this week the recalls were reported to have exceeded 100 products.

However, Bloomberg News, citing a Consumers Union scientist, said widespread use of the flavouring means the number could top 10,000 products.

PepsiCo yesterday (March 11th) recalled all products containing the HVP in question, following moves already made by Procter & Gamble, Nestle SA and McCormick & Co.

Soups, sauces, snack foods, dips and dressings are among the processed foods that can contain the affected food ingredient, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Michael Doyle, director at the Centre for Food Safety at the University of Georgia, told Bloomberg News: "It's a wake-up call for the food industry as a whole to be more thorough in evaluating the safety of ingredients.

"Big companies are putting their trust in suppliers, which is their Achilles heel".

Posted by Jason Webster