Why was ‘Hot Ones’ Hot sauce recalled? Reason explained

In a recent development, approximately four hundred gallons of the iconic Hot Ones hot sauce has been recalled by the Food and Drug Administration due to potential contamination during production. The range of sauces produced by Karma Sauce Company is among the most popular hot sauce ranges in the country.

The beloved Hot Ones range has also been featured on the highly popular series "Hot Ones," hosted by YouTuber Sean Evans. The show follows a unique format where Evans interviews celebrity guests while they eat progressively spicier hot wings. Each wing is coated with sauces from the Hot Ones lineup, with the heat level increasing with every bite.

A representative from Heatonist, the company that manufactures all the sauces for the brand, issued a statement clarifying that the most recent guests on the show, Selena Gomez and her partner, Benny Blanco, were not served any of the recalled products.

"To be clear: none of the hot sauce bottles used on the show were part of the limited batches subject to the recall. No guests on ‘Hot Ones’ were served any hot sauce that falls under this recall,”

More about why the FDA has recalled the Hot Ones hot sauce

The Hot Ones hot sauces were recalled by the Karma Sauce Company LLC L last month on 14 February. Later, on Wednesday, 19 March, the FDA announced a Class II recall due to the alleged presence of a foreign substance in the sauce, leading to contamination. According to the FDA website,

"[A Class II recall is] a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote."

The representative from Heatonist said -

"we identified nearly all of the affected bottles before they left our warehouse. Currently, the unaccounted recalled products are isolated to a small number of bottles that may have reached a handful of retail partners.”

The two main sauces affected by this issue are "Hot Ones Los Calientes Rojo Hot Sauce" and "Hot Ones Los Calientes Verde Hot Sauce." According to multiple sources, the recall targets approximately fifty thousand bottles in 5oz, 1 gallon, and 5 gallon sizes, which have allegedly been distributed to the states of Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, and Illinois.

A portion of the FDA statement obtained by Metro UK reads:

"Foreign objects, such as plastic in food products, can pose risks including choking, mouth or throat injury, or gastrointestinal discomfort if ingested."

The statement further added:

"While the Class II classification suggests any health effects would likely be minor and temporary, consumers experiencing symptoms such as irritation, pain, or digestive issues after consuming these hot sauces should seek medical attention promptly."

If you have bought any of the suspected products from the official website, you can mail [email protected] to enquire about further details or can directly do so through the Heatonist website.