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By Marni Rose McFall
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued its highest-risk warning for a hot pot sauce recalled earlier this month. The sauce, which was imported from China and sold in California, has been recalled due to undeclared allergens that could pose life-threatening risks.
Newsweek has reached out to Liaoning Cheng Da USA via phone call for comment outside of regular working hours.
Why It Matters
The FDA categorizes its recalls from Class I through to Class III. A Class I recall refers to indicating "a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death."
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What To Know
Liaoning Cheng Da USA Inc., based in San Gabriel, California, voluntarily issued the recall on March 4, 2025, after discovering that its Wangzhihe Hot Pot Sauce may contain undeclared peanut, soy, sesame, and wheat allergens.
The affected products are distributed under the brand name "Wangzhihe" and come in plastic containers weighing 160 grams (5.64 ounces), available in both regular and spicy varieties. The recall covers 3,650 cases, with each case containing 36 units.
The affected lot numbers are 2023/12/20, 2024/1/31, 2024/4/15, and 2024/10/18, and are printed on the back of each package. UPC codes include 6907592001375 and 6907592001382.
The recalled sauce was sold through several retail outlets in California, including 99 Ranch Market, Hawaii Supermarket, and Great Wall Supermarket.
The best-before date on affected products is July 2, 2026. According to the FDA, the products were sent to five direct account consignees within the state, and as of March 11, no illnesses had been reported in connection with the product.
What People Are Saying
Dr. Sebastian Linghvani, director of New York Allergy & Asthma PLLC, in a phone call with Newsweek, "The difference between someone who is allergic and someone who's not, really, at its core is that an allergic individual can come across something as innocuous as a small amount of the food, egg, peanut, milk, and ingest it.
"And while a normal person will just digest that and process it, an allergic person actually sees this as a foreign threat. And that triggers the allergic response, which can initially be associated with activation of what we think are these antibodies called IgE antibodies that recognize specifically that piece of food, be it protein or egg protein. And that then triggers these cells, called the mast cells, to release all these inflammatory mediators, like histamine and other kinds of mediators, like nutrients, which can have kind of profound effects.
"And these reactions can really start off very, very quickly and just escalate. And so you can go from zero to 60 in a very short period of time."
What Happens Next
The recall is currently ongoing. Consumers who have purchased the product can return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.
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