The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that the company responsible for the recall of hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) knowingly manufactured and distributed the contaminated ingredient.

FDA officials said Basic Food Flavors, Inc. knew of the salmonella contamination on its equipment after it got the results of a private inspection on January 21. The company continued to produce and manufacture HVP for a month after that.

The HVP ingredient is found in many processed foods, including dips, dip mixes, dressings, prepared salad products, snack mixes and soup mixes.

The FDA officially recalled products with HVP from Basic Food Flavors earlier this month.

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