Hot Sauce Recalled Nationwide Over Allergy Concern, Here's What You Need to Know

A Raleigh, North Carolina-based company has issued a voluntary recall of its jarred dry hot sauce powders, due to an undeclared allergen in those products. According to a notice posted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Vesta Fiery Gourmet Foods has recalled five varieties of its dry hot sauce, as the label does not list wheat flour as an ingredient. 

The recalled products are all branded as Benny T’s Vesta Dry Hot Sauce and include Benny T’s Vesta Dry Hot Sauce Ghost, Benny T’s Vesta Dry Hot Sauce Hot, Benny T’s Vesta Dry Hot Sauce Reaper, Benny T’s Vesta Dry Hot Sauce Scorpion, and Benny T’s Vesta Dry Hot Sauce Very Hot. According to the FDA, the potentially affected products were distributed to retailers nationwide, were sold in some stores’ deli cases, and were also sold online. 

All five products were packaged in 1.5-ounce glass jars, with the lot number FX001500 or FX001582, with a September 2024 expiration date. The FDA reports that the company was notified by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture that its Dry Hot Sauce labels did not denote that wheat flour was used in the products. (Benny T’s Vesta says that the wheat comes from the “very small quantity of breadcrumbs” that are used in the spicy powders.) 

“Up until recently, we were not aware, nor told by inspectors, that wheat as an allergen was required to be listed on our packaging,” Benny T’s Vesta wrote in a statement posted on its Instagram account. “Once we were made aware of the issue in late December 2023, we have worked closely with state and federal officials to correct the label.” 

The company says that the recall was only prompted by the wheat omission on the label and that all of the recalled products are “completely safe to consume if you do not have a wheat allergy.” Any customer who has questions about the recall may contact Chris Tuorto by calling 919-656-7688 between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday.

As of this writing, all of Benny T’s Vesta Dry Hot Sauces are listed as “Out of Stock” on the company’s website; Benny T’s Vesta says that they’re waiting for FDA approval before making the products available for sale again. 

“Once the FDA approves our new labels listing wheat as an allergen, we will be able to fulfill all orders, online and with our retail partners,” the company’s statement continutes. “We completely agree it’s pivotal for any consumer to be aware of the risks in all products, and we apologize for not including it earlier had we known.”