The recall of more than 150 processed food products containing the Salmonella-tainted flavoring ingredient hydrolyzed vegetable protein could expand to include 10,000 products, a Consumers Union scientist said in BusinessWeek.

PepsiCo Inc., Procter & Gamble Co., Nestle SA and McCormick & Co. are only a few of the big name companies announcing numerous product recalls connected to the Basic Food Flavors Inc.’s recall of HVP in February. HVP is found in variety of processed foods because of its widespread use as a flavor enhancer. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, HVP is often used in soups, sauces, chili, hot dogs, snack foods, dips and dressings.

The FDA estimates the number of recalled products will steadily rise, according to a statement released March 4, but declined to give an estimate of the total number of products expected to be recalled. To date, 153 products have been recalled in the U.S. and Canada for possible Salmonella contamination caused by the HVP ingredient.

“It’s a wake-up call for the food industry as a whole to be more thorough in evaluating the safety of ingredients,” said Michael Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia to BusinessWeek. “Big companies are putting their trust in suppliers, which is their Achilles heel.”

To date, no instances of illness associated with potentially contaminated products have been reported.

Sources:

BusinessWeek. “Recalls from Salmonella may rise to 10,000 products,” http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-11/recalls-from-salmonella-may-rise-to-10-000-products-update1-.html; 11 March 2010.

Food and Drug Administration. “Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein product recall,” http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/MajorProductRecalls/HVP/default.htm; 04 March 2010.