The Food and Drug Administration announced a voluntary recall on Thursday of food made with a common flavoring after they found it may have become contaminated with salmonella bacteria, although they did not estimate how extensive the recall will be.

Foods including soups, sauces, dips, salad dressings, hot dogs, and many snack foods that contain the flavoring hydrolyzed vegetable protein were on the list to be recalled. The protein is made by Basic Food Flavors Inc of Las Vegas, Nevada.

“At this time there are no known illnesses associated with this contamination and obviously we’d like to keep it that way,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg told Reuters in a teleconference.

According to Dr. Jeff Farrar, associate commissioner for food safety at FDA’s Office of Foods, the flavoring is sold by the main company to individual companies, which in turn sell to more companies. “We expect this to get larger over the next several days, actually several weeks,” he said.

Nevada state health officials are working with federal agencies to contain the outbreak, Hamburg told reporters.

The FDA said it confirmed the presence of Salmonella Tennessee in processing equipment at Basic Food Flavors Inc’s Las Vegas facility. The company is recalling all hydrolyzed vegetable protein in powder and paste form that it has produced since September 17, 2009.

Farrar said officials are estimating that the consumer impact is very low at this time.

Food group T. Marzeti recalled said on March 1 it was recalling various dips. Other companies are taking similar actions and recalling a wide range of products including, potato chips, tofu, pasta, and ethic foods.

The salmonella bacteria can cause a severe illnesses in young, old, and those who are in poor health. Fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain are the most common symptoms associated with salmonella poisoning. It can cause bloodstream infections and organ failure in the most vulnerable.

The FDA, CDC and USDA are working with Congress to update and revamp food safety regulations in the U.S.

The outbreak shows why new regulations are needed, said Deputy FDA Commission Dr. Joshua Sharfstein. “The shift in the food safety system that we can accomplish with the food safety legislation is one toward prevention and we would like to set strong preventive standards that keep contamination from occurring in the first place,” he said.

Since 2006, contaminated outbreaks have battered the U.S. food industry, involving foods such as meats, lettuce, peanuts, spinach and peppers. The Produce Safety Project reported this week that food poisoning costs the United States $152 billion in health-related expenses each year.