Does Salmonella-Contaminated Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP) Pose a Larger Threat?

As of March 8^th, there have been just over 100 products recalled over concerns of the products being processed with hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) believed to be contaminated with Salmonella. The recall list is bound to grow as more products are discovered to be connected with the contaminated HVP distributed by Basic Food Flavors, Inc. located in Las Vegas. There are only a few companies that manufacture HVP and the retail list from this recall expands every time another company is discovered in the growing chain of HVP distribution.

The people who make the decisions as to what products containing Salmonella contaminated HVP get recalled have decided that only products that are ready-to-eat will be included in the recall and products that are expected to be cooked will not be included. The reasoning behind this omission is that foods that are expected to be cooked will only pose a low risk to the consumer. It is curious that these products that are a known foodborne illness risk are simply ignored in the growing HVP product recall.

While these Salmonella contaminated products may not be recalled, it is in the public’s interest that a list of products that aren’t going to be recalled but may have been manufactured with Salmonella HVP be made available to the general public. The consumer should be the one to choose if the foods they bring into their homes may or may not pose a significant health risk. While the chance of contracting salmonellosis from eating a cooked product made with Salmonella contaminated HVP is relatively small, handling the product still poses a threat to the food preparer. Only 500 of the Salmonella bacteria are believed to be needed to cause serious illness and an infected product could contain billions of the microbes.

In addition to the handling threat, misunderstandings from reading confusing instructions, inaccurate ovens and variations in product could all prevent proper internal temperatures from being reached. If the internal temperatures are not reached, Salmonella still poses a significant threat. The only way to ensure a food product is safe is to ensure that the products are free from dangerous foodborne pathogens before they ever make it into our refrigerators in the first place.

Salmonella is the leading cause of bacterial foodborne illness in the United States. For most people, a bout of foodborne illness from Salmonella is usually mild and resolves without complication, but for a few unfortunate victims, a Salmonella infection can cause severe and life threatening complications. Aside from severe bloody diarrhea, painful abdominal cramps and urinary tract infections, Salmonella can pass into the blood stream and lead to painful conditions such as reactive arthritis and if the infection is severe enough, sepsis can occur from a “simple” case of Salmonella. Every year more than 500 people die from Salmonella poisoning.

Products manufactured with Salmonella will always pose a threat to the people who prepare and consume these products. Even if the products are fully cooked, there is no way to ensure that some of the billions of Salmonella contained in the product won’t find a way to your stomach. This important food choice should not be made by people who control the recalls; the choice should rest with the consumer. Some people might choose to eat potentially contaminated products but others  might choose to keep contaminated foods out of their kitchens. Without allowing the consumer to make that choice, people are putting their health into the hands of the companies responsible for contaminating our food in the first place.