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FDA recalls Vesta Fiery Gourmet Foods hot sauce "because these products contain undeclared wheat"

By ethanh // 2024-01-14

Several lots of hot sauce produced by Raleigh, N.C.-based Vesta Fiery Gourmet Foods, Inc., are being recalled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for containing "undeclared wheat" ingredients. Reports indicate that the following Vesta products are included in the recall: • Benny T's Vesta Dry Hot Sauce Ghost 1.5 oz glass jar • Benny T's Vesta Dry Hot Sauce Hot 1.5 oz glass jar • Benny T's Vesta Dry Hot Sauce Reaper 1.5 oz glass jar • Benny T's Vesta Dry Hot Sauce Scorpion 1.5 oz glass jar • Benny T's Vesta Dry Hot Sauce Very Hot 1.5 oz glass jar "People who have an allergy or severe insensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products," the FDA noted in an announcement. In that same announcement, the FDA revealed that Vesta Fiery Gourmet Foods, Inc., had been notified by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture on January 4 that the labels for all of the aforementioned hot sauce products do not "state the flour used is a wheat flour." The FDA made it clear that no illnesses have been reported in relation to the products, and that they are simply being recalled due to improper labeling that could put some customers at risk. "The products were distributed between October 1, 2023 – January 4, 2024," the agency added. "These products were packaged in glass jars and sold primarily online, in retail stores & deli cases located throughout the United States." A spokesperson for Vesta Fiery Gourmet Foods, Inc., told the media that the recall is simple in that the company only needs to create new packaging for the products in order to re-release them on the market. "Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them or they may discard the product," the FDA said. (Related: Last summer, the FDA recalled green organic kiwifruit from 14 states due to potential contamination with listeria.)

America's food supply a contamination nightmare

There have been so many FDA food recalls in recent weeks that Newsweek created an interactive map about all of them, which include an array of products ranging from kimchi to soybean sprouts. Newsweek's map depicts different states as they are affected by these food recalls, including New York, New Jersey, Florida, California, Virginia, and Texas. In Florida, California, and Texas specifically, the FDA issued a recall for 14-ounce packages of Melissa's Kimchi over concerns that the product contains unlabeled fish ingredients – no illnesses were reported from the recalled kimchi. "This recall extends only to Sun International stores in Florida, Brookshire Brothers stores in Texas, OK Produce – Grocery Outlet in California," the FDA announced. The FDA also announced a boycott for soybean sprouts from Nam & Son of Jessup, Md., due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a type of bacteria that can cause infections in children. Thus far, no illnesses have been reported from this product, either. If a person with allergies were to consume any of the recalled products containing unlisted allergenic ingredients, they could, according to the FDA, suffer from symptoms like hives, lip swelling, and even life-threatening anaphylaxis. On January 3, the FDA issued a recall for "Plum Queen" dried plums produced by Win Luck Trading Inc. of Bayonne, N.J., over concerns that the product may contain undeclared sulfites. "People who have allergies to sulfites run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product," the FDA said, noting that these affected products were sold at retail stores in New York and New Jersey, and were packaged in a clear plastic container under the brand name Tasty Snacks. More related news coverage about food recalls can be found at FDA.news. Sources for this article include: MSN.com NaturalNews.com Newsweek.com

toxins FDA ingredients food safety wheat recall groceries badfood badhealth Vesta Fiery Gourmet Foods hot sauce