In the wake of hundreds of product recalls for Salmonella-contaminated flavor enhancer hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is telling companies they may need to alter formulations and labeling for products containing HVP as an ingredient or undeclared seasoning.

According to the agency’s directive, “These revisions are likely to cause existing labels to be out of

compliance, and establishments may need to obtain temporary approval

for continued use of these labels.”

Companies can get temporary approvals from FSIS if they submit a request to the agency. FSIS may grant temporary approvals, which are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, for a period of up to 180 days.

“Temporary approval can be granted for any product if the HVP is removed. If the HVP is replaced with another ingredient, there cannot be any allergen concerns,” FSIS said in the update.

“For example, if a hydrolyzed soy protein is added to the product, soy should already need to be listed in the ingredient statement. In situations where negative claims or nutrient  content claims appear on labeling, it is critical to stipulate that all claims will continue to be met, or provide information to support that claims remain correct.”

See the FSIS constituent update for more information.