McCormick & Company, Incorporated is initiating a recall of products manufactured with HVP (hydrolyzed vegetable protein) that were supplied by Basic Food Flavors of Las Vegas, Nevada, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just announced. The recall is being implemented because the ingredient has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Salmonella, which is usually found in food and water contaminated with animal feces, is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstance, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis, and arthritis. Salmonella poisoning can lead to Reiter’s Syndrome, a difficult-to-treat reactive arthritis characterized by severe joint pain, irritation of the eyes, and painful urination.

To date, no illnesses have been associated with the recalled McCormick products which were distributed nationwide and sold in retail stores. Two of the recalled products were also distributed for sale in international markets. The following products are being recalled:

McCormick French Onion Dip Mix sold in 0.53-ounce packages, shipped nationwide and outside the United States under UPC code 52100168609 and with Best Buy Dates of OCT 06 11, OCT 07 11, NOV 03 11, NOV 06 11, DEC 04 11, JAN 04 12, and JAN 23 12.

McCormick Vegetable Dip Mix sold in 1.25-ounce packages and shipped nationwide under UPC code 52100063850 and with Best Buy Dates of JUN 08 11, JUL 09 11, and JUL 28 11.

McCormick Onion Gravy Mix sold in 0.87-ounce packages and shipped nationwide and outside the U.S. under UPC code 52100098807 and with Best Buy Dates of OCT 08 11, OCT 11 11, OCT 17 11, OCT 18 11, NOV 01 11, NOV 03 11, NOV 15 11, NOV 17 11, DEC 01 11, DEC 02 11, DEC 28 11, DEC 29 11, JAN 22 12, JAN 23 12, JAN 26 12, JAN 30 12, FEB 12 12, and FEB 13 12.

McCormick Corn Bread Stuffing sold in 42-ounce (2 lb. 10 oz.) containers, shipped to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Pennsylvania under UPC code 5210057199 and with Product Codes 4519BH, 4520BH, and 5019BH

The McCormick Consumer Hotline at can be reached toll-free at 1-800-632-5847 or via its Website at consumer_affairs@mccormick.com for a replacement or reimbursement. Live assistance is available on the Hotline from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday and 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Saturday and Sunday.

We recently wrote that the FDA announced it is actively investigating findings of Salmonella Tennesse in HVP, which was manufactured by Basic Food Flavors, Inc., in Las Vegas, Nevada. HVP is a flavor enhancer used in a wide variety of processed food products, such as soups, sauces, chilis, stews, hot dogs, gravies, seasoned snack foods, dips, and dressings. HVP is also often blended with other spices to make seasonings used in or on foods. Over 50 product recalls have been announced and more are expected.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Food Poisoning, Product Recalls, Recalled Food Products, Salmonella.