Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Recall May Become Biggest Food Recall in U.S. History
A recall of food flavorings containing salmonella may lead to the biggest food recall in consumer history. Bloomberg reports that nearly 10,000 products could be involved.
PepsiCo Inc. joined Procter & Gamble Co., Nestle SA and McCormick & Co. yesterday in recalling food containing hydrolyzed vegetable protein, or HVP. The widespread use of the flavoring means more companies will follow, said Michael Hansen, senior scientist at Consumers Union, the Yonkers, New York-based advocacy group that publishes Consumer Reports magazine.
More than 100 items, including two flavors of P&G's Pringles and a store-brand ranch dip found in Wal-Mart Stores Inc., had been pulled as of yesterday, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Web site. Soups, sauces, chili, hot dogs, snack foods, dips and dressings are among the processed foods that often contain the vegetable protein, according to the FDA.
"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. "Big companies are putting their trust in suppliers, which is their Achilles heel."
So far, no one has actually gotten sick from the contaminated HVP or hydrolyzed vegetable protein, which is used in thousands of food products. Foods that are cooked, such as meats, have a low risk of infecting people but uncooked foods such as chips and dips could be a real problem.
The endless stream of contaminated food products not only makes people sick -- and can kill the very young or the very elderly -- it also will cost food companies worldwide around $15 billion a year in the future, according to industry analysts. It's clear that our food system needs a major overhaul with much stricter standards for food and food supplement preparation.
