WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert due to concerns that fully cooked, ready-to-eat (RTE) pasta sauce labeled as pizza sauce contains anchovies and milk, known allergens, as well as ground beef and sulfites, which are not declared on the product label. FSIS is issuing this public health alert to ensure that consumers are aware that these products should not be consumed. A recall was not requested because the products are no longer available for purchase.
The fully cooked, RTE pasta sauce items labeled as pizza sauce were produced on January 25, 2023. The following products subject to the public health alert are [view label]:
- 16-oz. tub containing “NEW SEASONS BRIGHT & FLAVORFUL HOMESTYLE PIZZA SAUCE with slow-simmered plum tomatoes” with a best if used by date of “3/26/23.”
The product subject to the public health alert does not bear a USDA establishment number or mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations in Oregon and Washington.
The problem was discovered after the firm received a consumer complaint that meat was in the pizza sauce and notified FSIS. The establishment determined that employees labeled a limited number of “Bolognese Pasta Sauce” packages as “Homestyle Pizza Sauce”.
There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.
FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
Media and consumers with questions regarding the public health alert can contact Lana Slezak, Executive Vice President/Founder of Heritage Specialty Foods, LLC, at 503-252-1545.
Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or live chat via Ask USDA from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Consumers can also browse food safety messages at Ask USDA or send a question via email to [email protected]. For consumers that need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.
