November 1, 2007: General Mills E. coli Pizza Recall
Generals Mills has issued a recall of approximately 3.3
million pounds of frozen pizzas with pepperoni toppings, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The Totino’s
and Jeno’s brand pizzas have been recalled because of possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination. According
to FSIS, the frozen pizzas subject to the recall may be linked to an E. coli food poisoning outbreak.
The following recall information is posted on the USDA website:
The
following pizza products are subject to recall:
- 10.2-ounce packages of "Totino's
The Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza Pepperoni."
- 10.2-ounce packages of "Totino's
The Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Classic Pepperoni."
- 10.2-ounce packages of "Totino's
The Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Pepperoni Trio."
- 10.7-ounce packages of "Totino's
The Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Combination Sausage & Pepperoni
Pizza."
- 10.5-ounce packages of "Totino's
The Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Three Meat Sausage, Canadian Style
Bacon & Pepperoni Pizza."
- 10.9-ounce packages of "Totino's
The Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Supreme Sausage & Pepperoni
Pizza with Green Peppers & Onions."
- 6.8-ounce packages of "JENO'S
CRISP `N TASTY PIZZA, PEPPERONI."
- 7.0-ounce packages of "JENO'S
CRISP `N TASTY PIZZA, COMBINATION SAUSAGE AND PEPPERONI PIZZA."
- 7.2-ounce packages of "JENO'S
CRISP `N TASTY PIZZA, SUPREME SAUSAGE AND PEPPERONI WITH GREEN PEPPERS AND
ONION PIZZA."
Each
package also bears the establishment number "EST. 7750" inside the
USDA mark of inspection, as well as a "best if used by" date on or
before "02 APR 08 WS." The company applies the "best if used by
date" to the package based on a 155-day shelf life, but consumers are
urged to look in their freezers for similar frozen pizza products and discard
them if found.
The frozen meat pizza products subject to recall were produced on or before
Oct. 30 and were distributed to retail establishments nationwide.
The problem was discovered following an investigation carried out by the
Tennessee Department of Health in coordination with the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention into a multi-state cluster of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses
that may be linked to this product. Illnesses occurred in Illinois
(1), Kentucky (3), Missouri
(2), New York (2), Ohio
(1), Pennsylvania
(1), South Dakota
(1), Tennessee (8),
Virginia (1), and Wisconsin
(1). Illness onset dates ranged from July 20 to Oct. 10. All patients have
recovered.
E. coli O157:H7 is
a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause diarrhea (sometimes bloody) and
dehydration. The young, seniors, and the immuno-compromised are the most
susceptible to complications arising from E.
coli food poisoning. To learn more about E. coli food poisoning, please see About E. coli and Symptoms of E. coli Food
Poisoning.
The Law Firm of Eric Weinberg
currently represents victims of food poisoning outbreaks throughout the
country. If you or a loved one has been harmed by E. coli food poisoning, and you have a question regarding your
legal rights, please fill out a Free
Case Evaluation form, or call us toll free at 1-877-934-6274. Please see Food and Drug Recall Lawyer to learn more about our work on food poisoning cases.
To learn more about recent food poisoning and food recall news, please see E. coli Recall, Hamburger Recall, and Pot Pie Recall.