Salmonella Scare Linked to Flavoring Ingredient

Hydrolyzed vegetable protein doesn't show up as a No. 1 ingredient in processed food products but it's causing panic among manufacturers.

The flavoring ingredient used in thousands of grocery-store foods is the source of Salmonella contamination that's led to the recall of dozens of items. Among the recalled products: T. Marzetti dips, Trader Joe's salad dressing and Castella soup mix. So far, the Food and Drug Administration says there are no reported illnesses.

The ingredient sold by Basic Food Flavors Inc. of North Las Vegas is also used in hot dogs, frozen dinners and snack foods. FDA folks are reminding people to follow cooking instructions for any foods.

The recall happens to follow a study this week that estimates foodborne illnesses cost the U.S. health care system $152 billion a year. Backers of that study say our food-safety system needs some upgrades and critics are weighing in on the latest recall, noting the vulnerability of the production chain.

“Many of these recent recalls show that an error in a single ingredient plant — whether peanut butter, spices or flavor enhancers — can cause repercussions throughout the food chain,” Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety at watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest, tells the New York Times.

Last year's massive recall of Salmonella-contaminated peanut butter by Peanut Corporation of America was held up as an example of safety problems in the food system. That outbreak sickened more than 700 people and killed at least nine people. Congress trotted the company's president Stewart Parnell before a special hearing but did little else. Parnell refused to answer questions, citing his Fifth Amendment rights.