Recalls From Salmonella May Rise to 10,000 Products (Update1)

Recalls From Salmonella May Rise to 10,000 Products (Update1) Salmonella contamination at a Nevada food-flavoring plant may trigger the recall of as many as 10,000 products, according to a Consumers Union scientist.

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,energy saving lamp said Michael Hansen, senior scientist at Consumers Union, the Yonkers, New York-based advocacy group that publishes Consumer Reports magazine.

Almost 150 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.”

The tally of products will rise over the next few weeks, FDA officials said March 4, declining to provide an estimate. The recall has the potential to be the largest ever by number of products, although the total isn’t yet known, said Rita Chappelle, an FDA spokeswoman.

The contaminated HVP was made by Las Vegas-based Basic Food Flavors and discovered by one of its customers, which alerted the FDA, officials of the agency said on a March 4 conference call. Dave Wood, director of sales and marketing at Basic Food Flavors, wasn’t available to comment.