Phire in the Hole Safety notice

Safety notice — do not eat. Throw these sauces away.

In September 2026 the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection issued a cease-and-desist order to Phire in the Hole of Monroe, Connecticut. The company manufactured hot sauce without a required Food Manufacturing Establishment license or an approved safety process. The department warned of a potential botulism risk from improperly processed low-acid and acidified canned foods. The company declined a voluntary recall and did not comply with the order.

The warning covers all 5-ounce, un-coded bottles of seven varieties. The sauces were sold from November 2025 to August 17, 2026, primarily through Beardsley’s Cider Mill & Orchard, Shelton, Connecticut. Officials were uncertain whether the products reached other marketplaces. No illnesses had been reported at the time of the alert.

Varieties covered: Boo Bee Q, Box of Phire, Lemon Pucker Punch, P.I.T.H BBQ, Reaper Creeper, The Hawaiian Ghost, VK Vamps Kryptonite.

Source: Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection — see the source links below.