Pasta sauce recalled in 41 states due to potentially deadly contamination

Pasta sauce sold in 41 states has received the FDA’s most urgent recall classification due to contamination with a potentially deadly bacteria.

The FDA updated its recall of Tennessee-based Coffee Connexion, Inc.’s sauce to a Class I, its highest classification level, used when there is a ‘reasonable probability’ that exposure could cause serious health consequences or death.

The Alfredo sauce, recalled due to Salmonella contamination, was distributed to restaurants, hospitals, universities, cafeterias and other commercial food service operations across the country. It was not intended for direct retail sale in grocery stores.

The contamination originated with an ingredient supplied to The Coffee Connexion, a dry milk powder that was already contaminated, which was then used to make the Alfredo sauce.

The recalled product comes in three-pound seven-ounce sealed poly bags, packed 12 bags per case, with UPC number 0039954921963. A total of 913 cases are affected.

If the sauce has the product number SSP980713 and a ‘Best By’ date of January 12, 2028, February 16, 2028, March 9, 2028 or April 20, 2028, it should not be used.

Salmonella is among the leading causes of foodborne illness in the US, infecting about 1.35 million people every year, according to the CDC, and leading to 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths.

No illnesses have been reported in connection with the recalled sauce, according to the FDA.

The recall was first announced in May before being upgraded to a Class I earlier this month.

The product was distributed in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

This type of contamination typically occurs when Salmonella enters milk powder during the manufacturing process and then spreads through the equipment.

The bacteria can enter the production environment from a number of sources, such as raw milk, contaminated equipment or cracks in a drying machine.

Because milk powder is a dry product, using water for cleaning can worsen bacterial growth, so factories rely on dry-cleaning methods such as wiping and flushing.

Salmonella can persist on surfaces in a dry processing facility and then cross-contaminate the powder as it flows through the equipment. 

Food service operators who purchased this product should not use it. The FDA advises against using the sauce in cooking due to the risk of cross-contamination.

The affected product can be thrown away in a secure trash container or returned to the distributor for a full refund.

Commercial kitchens and restaurants should thoroughly sanitize any surfaces, utensils or equipment that may have come into contact with the recalled sauce.

Consumers who may have eaten food containing this sauce at a restaurant or an institutional dining facility, such as a hospital cafeteria, should monitor their health for symptoms of Salmonella infection for the next week.

Healthy people who accidentally consume the bacteria typically develop symptoms including fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

The symptoms usually appear in as little as six hours or as many as six days after exposure and can last up to a week.

Young children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems face the greatest danger from infection.

In severe cases, Salmonella can escape the intestines and enter the bloodstream, leading to life-threatening complications such as sepsis, as well as infections of the arteries, heart lining, and arthritis.

While many people recover without medical treatment, severe cases may require hospitalization and treatment with antibiotics.