We have had no shortage of bad weeks in the food recall department. The peanut butter debacle of a year ago seemed to focus the attention on food safety. Time has passed and here we are with a similar, massive recall: Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP). The name sounds ominous enough as most of us are unclear what happens when we hydrolyze!
The list of companies in the potential Salmonella dangerous zone has grown significantly, and the consumer is asked to check out cabinets and look for items that go further back than initially mentioned. Then there is the whole MSG discussion. If MSG is anything, it is a member of the HVP family. So what is a consumer to do? Stay tuned to the list, watch for updates, as there have been numerous ones this week, and read every label carefully. After all the power to change seems to rest more fully with the individual as the safety regs do not seem to change significantly enough to prevent these massive recalls.
Pay careful attention to dips, spreads, sauces, soup mixes, and chips. These categories seem to be ripe for the problem although there are numerous other categories that are affected. The list keeps multiplying, and more companies are pulling products so that they remain on the side of caution. Good move.
Then in the ultimate cooking shortcut, a Texas beef purveyor updated the distribution trail to include several frozen beef and chicken taquito products that have the HVP additive.
Err on the side of safety and stick with products you can read and pronounce.
I am convinced there will always be food recalls, but believe that the consumer can do much to stave off the problem by finding fresh, local foods that work their way into household kitchen preparation rather than arrive from mass-produced production lines.
We can’t be fighting bacteria in our food preparation if products are sneaking through the system without proper inspections.
and you feared the crowds at the stores, you have time.
I have been resistant but lately have started to tweet (twitter.com/allbeforecoffee) as a vehicle of immediacy; truly, instant communication. I used it when I heard about the latest ground beef recall. (For some reason, I still do not have all the wireless contraptions cooperating–it seems it took several days to appear in my twitter account from my mobile post–went by way of??)
The whole point of such a headline grabbing article is to get Congress in gear to modernize the FDA, to make it responsive to the current needs of the nation. The CSPI hopes that the Senate will follow the House of Representatives lead in passing the Food Safety Enhancement Act. They believe it is time for passage of the 
There are lots of products that could easily fit under the “grow it yourself” headline, but I think spinach and alfalfa sprouts should qualify for a tie at first place. It seems everytime we turn around there is another recall for one or both of the veggie products. Growing them does not require rocket science, just a little tender loving care and little patience. Then you can take the spinach and alfalfa sprout Salmonella worries off the table. That’s a far better proposition than waiting for the
Remember the 