Fans know they're connected with a popular YouTube show, but some heat-seekers may have bitten into more than a burn.
Another 50,000 Popular Hot Sauces Have Been Recalled in 4 States
Published on Mar. 21, 2025
As the infamous YouTube show “with hot questions and even hotter wings,” Hot Ones has become a regular stop for celebrities to experience a little pain in the form of chicken wings while promoting their latest projects—and for spicy food enthusiasts to spot new sauces they’d like to try.
Hot Ones sells the show’s lineup of sauces online, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests some heat-seeking fans may have encountered more than just a mouth-numbing burn when sampling several sauces recently.
This week, the FDA announced a recall update for 50,654 total products of Hot Ones-branded hot sauce flavors: Verde Los Calientes and Rojo Los Calientes. The hot sauces, which are sold with the Hot Ones logo on the label, are being recalled due to “Possible foreign object contamination (plastic).”
It’s not specified how the potential plastic contamination was discovered, or whether any consumers have found plastic in their product. The recall is now categorized as a Class II, meaning the agency has determined the affected products “may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health effects.”
The recall, initially initiated on February 14, appears to include the hot sauces in several sizes: 5-ounce bottles, 1-gallon jugs, and 5-gallon buckets.
The product details include:
HOT ONES brand VERDE, Los Calientes Hot Sauce, BY HEATONIST
- UPC 8-51444-00803-5
- 5 ounces (oz) size:
- Best By Dates: 02/03/2028, 02/04/2028, 02/05/2028, 02/06/2028, 02/07/2028; Best By 02/11/2028; Best By 02/12/2028; Best By 02/13/2028; Best By 12/18/2027; Best By 12/19/2027
- Total 5 oz. bottles recalled: 50,604
- 1 gallon size:
- Best By Dates: 02/03/2028, 02/04/2028, 02/07/2028
- Total 1-gallon jugs recalled: 24
- 5 gallon size:
- Best By Date: 02/07/202
- Total 5-gallon buckets recalled: 2
HOT ONES brand ROJO, Los Calientes Hot Sauce, BY HEATONIST
- UPC 8-51444-00810-03
- 5 ounces (oz) size:
- Best By Date: 02/10/2028
- Total 5 oz. bottles recalled: 0
- 1 gallon size:
- Best By Date: 02/07/2028
- Total 1-gallon jugs recalled: 24
It is unclear why the report lists a quantity of zero Rojo Los Calientes 5-ounce bottles while also providing Best By information for the specific product.
The listed recalling firm, The Karma Sauce Company LLC of Rochester, NY, has had numerous hot sauces featured on Hot Ones in the past, notes its website.
The FDA lists four states where the hot sauce products were distributed: North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. It’s not immediately clear from the report what retail locations the sauces may have been sold in, or whether the hot sauce bottles sold online are included in the distribution list.
Though it’s not specified what customers should do with the recalled products, it’s best to check if you have any of the hot sauces on hand and avoid using them. Multiple recent recalls have been executed due to reported foreign matter, discovered by inspectors or consumers.
So if you’re firing up the grill this first weekend in spring, try to sauce, toss, and chew with care…
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