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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which is closely following a U.S. investigation and recall of foods containing hydrolyzed vegetable protein, has expanded its recall of products that contain the flavour enhancer, which may be contaminated with salmonella bacteria.

The agency warned the public Sunday not to eat some pretzel and dip products because they contain hydrolyzed vegetable protein, or HVP, made by Basic Food Flavors Inc. of Las Vegas.

Fifty-six food products made by Basic Food Flavors and suspected of possibly containing HVP have been recalled in the United States.

The ingredient is used as a flavour enhancer in soups, hot dogs, sauces and seasoned snack foods.

On Sunday, the CFIA said the following foods, made in the U.S. and distributed nationally, are being voluntarily recalled by the importers:

• Pretzel Bytes – Honey Mustard by H.K. Anderson
• Southwest Ranch Veggie Dip by President’s Choice Honey Mustard flavour

Last week, the agency announced a recall of two types of T. Marzetti Veggie Dips and Hawaiian Kettle Style Potato chips, Maui Sweet Onion flavour. The dips were distributed nationally, while the potato chips were distributed by Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Costco is voluntarily recalling the product.

There have been no confirmed cases of illnesses related to any of the recalled products in the U.S. or Canada, the agency said.

Food contaminated with salmonella may not look or smell spoiled, but eating it can cause salmonellosis, the CFIA said. The food-borne illness can cause serious and sometimes deadly infections in children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.

In otherwise healthy people, salmonellosis can cause small-term symptoms like high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

The CFIA said this is an ongoing food safety investigation. As more products are identified, the agency said it will continue to update its list of recalled products.

Replicas of Oscar statuettes are seen on show in a shop in front of the Kodak Theatre. (Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images) The Academy Awards show took a break from handing out trophies in Hollywood on Sunday night to deliver a tender homage to John Hughes, with actors from some of his largest films speaking as part of a tribute to the late U.S. producer, director and screenwriter.

Molly Ringwald, Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy and Macaulay Culkin were among those who spoke about Hughes — who died in 2009 — as a montage of his many teen and family comedy-dramas rolled on screens behind them, including Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Some Kind of Wonderful, Home Alone, Weird Science and Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

The 82nd annual awards show opened with a song-and-dance number by Neil Patrick Harris and playful ribbing of this year’s nominees by hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

Early on, Oscars were spread out to nominees from a host of films.

Austrian actor Christoph Waltz picked up the night’s first trophy: best supporting actor for his turn as the main Nazi villain in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.His competition included Canada’s Christopher Plummer, who played Tolstoy in The Last Station.

“Quentin, with his unorthodox methods of navigation, this fearless explorer, took this ship across and brought it in with flying colours, and that’s why I’m here,” Waltz said.

“This is your welcoming embrace and there’s no way I can ever thank you enough, but I can start now. Thank you,” Waltz told the audience after thanking Tarantino for taking his career in a new direction.

The Oscar for best supporting actress went to Mo’Nique, who describes a monstrous single mother in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.

“I want to thank the academy for showing it can be about the performance and not the politics,” she said.

She also paid tribute to Hattie McDaniel, the Gone With the Wind actress who was the first black performer to win an Oscar, Precious producers Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey and to her husband, Sidney Hicks, “for showing me that … you have to forgo doing what’s well loved to do what’s right and, baby, you were so right.”

Another early winner was Up, winner of the best animated feature Oscar. It also vies for the best picture prize later in the evening — only the second animated film to get a nod in the top category, after Beauty and the Beast in 1991.

Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett picked up the night’s third Academy Award for The Weary Kind, their theme song from country music comeback tale Crazy Heart.

Geoffrey Fletcher won best adapted screenplay for Precious, while Mark Boal received the best original screenplay Oscar for The Hurt Locker, which he first imagined after covering the Iraq War as a journalist.

Other winners included:

• Make-up: Star Trek
• Documentary small: Music by Prudence
• Animated small: Logorama
• Live action small: The New Tenants
• Art direction: Avatar
• Costume design: The Young Victoria

This year’s expanded best picture race will see Canadian James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar contend with ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker, along with:

• Alien thriller District 9.
• Mid-century coming-of-age tale An Education.
• Football drama The Blind Side.
• World War II tale Inglourious Basterds.
• Urban drama Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.
• Animated adventure tale Up.
• Downsizing comedy-drama Up in the Air.
• Black comedy A Serious Man.

Aside from Cameron, who is nominated for best director for Avatar, other Canadians still in the running for Sunday night’s Oscars includeDistrict 9‘s Vancouver-based effects team and Toronto-based Gordon Sim, who landed a set direction nomination for Nine.

With files from The Associated Press

Saskatchewan skip Darrell McKee, right, and New Brunswick’s James Grattan study a shot during the third draw of the Brier on Sunday in Halifax. (Mike Dembeck/Canadian Press)

Ontario’s Glenn Howard has some company at the top of the Tim Hortons Brier curling standings.

Alberta’s Kevin Koe joins the three-time Brier winner at 3-0 after downing Newfoundland and Labrador 7-6 in a see-saw battle Sunday in Halifax that dropped Brad Gushue’s rink to 2-1 with Quebec and Saskatchewan.

Koe, making his first Brier appearance, used the hammer to excellent advantage in the eighth end, drawing for three to take the lead after Gushue’s last shot failed to clear two Alberta rocks.

In other action, Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton beat P.E.I and New Brunswick to go to 3-1.

New Brunswick and Northern Ontario sit at 2-2 while P.E.I., Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories/Yukon remain winless.

Earlier Sunday, Howard handled Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs 9-4 in Draw 3.

Saskatchewan skip Darrell McKee briefly shared the lead with Howard following a 7-4 victory over New Brunswick skip James Grattan, who dropped to 2-1 after posting consecutive wins on the opening day.

Stoughton defeated P.E.I. 9-4 while Quebec prevailed 7-3 over Northwest Territories/Yukon team.