Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) is now taking its place beside peanuts, pistachios, and powdered milk as a food ingredient causing recalls of many, many individual products.
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein is a common ingredient used most frequently as a flavor enhancer in many processed foods, including soups, sauces, chilies, stews, hot dogs, gravies, seasoned snack foods, dips and dressings.
No illnesses have been associated with the hydrolyzed vegetable protein recalls.
Commissioner Margareth Hamburg credited
FDA's new Reportable Food Registry for the tip that led investigators to the Basic Food Flavors processing plant in North Las Vegas, where the Salmonella problem was discovered.
Officials believe the contamination dates back to September 2009. The tip on FDA's new Reportable Food Registry (Registry), an electronic portal for the food industry to report when there is reasonable probability that an article of food will cause serious adverse health consequences, was made in late February.
It came from a down-stream customer of Basic Food Flavors that was doing product testing on its own, and found Salmonella in the hydrolyzed vegetable protein.
Potato products recalled:
