Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled a common flavor enhancer that could be contaminated with salmonella bacteria. Msnbc.com reports that hydrolyzed vegetable protein, also called HVP, has been riddled with the potentially lethal bacteria. These “salty and savory” enhancers are seasonings used in sauces, chili, soups, gravies, stews, hot dogs, snack foods, dips, dressings and more. The up side? The Government Accountability Office (GOA) has called on the FDA to pay closer attention to food additives.

Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg is an FDA commissioner. As she told Msnbc.com, "Our investigators were able to identify this problem before any illnesses occurred.” Dr. Jeff Farrar is the associate commissioner for food safety, FDA's Office of Foods. He adds, "We expect this to get larger over the next several days to several weeks.” But not to worry – Farrar adds that many of the products with the flavor enhancer contain a "kill step" (in other words, cooking) designed to destroy salmonella and will not be recalled. Because who doesn’t want a food flavoring with a side of kill step?

The FDA seems to be going through a crisis of consciousness. Bottled water notoriously lacks any real oversight. http://www.tappedthemovie.com/ As detailed by Stacy Malkan in the fantastic expose “Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry,” the creams and shampoos and deodorants we place on our bodies are likewise largely unregulated – or regulated, but with no real research on how ingredients metabolize in our bodies.  We find lead in our lipsticks, hormone-disrupting phthalates in our perfumes, and mammary carcinogens 1,4-dioxane in our detergents and shampoos.

We can hope that, with this increased awareness, the FDA will step up as urged and increase oversight on the products available to us on the marketplace. But the real lesson we can bring from this is to take responsibility for our own purchases. You can check out harmful products ingredients on the Skin Deep database. This is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group. You can track e-coli outbreaks through the Center of Disease Control (CDC).  Set up weekly alerts for recalls in the news. And check ingredient lists and the FDA’s voluntary recall list at foodsafety.gov.

And in the meantime, keep it all in perspective. Sure, we can’t live happy lives constantly looking for toxic phantoms in our foods. But we can be aware of what’s in it and make healthier choices.

Want to hear more? Check out this coverage from NBC News.

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