November 2, 2007
Totinos and Jenos divisions of food giant General Mills - have announced a voluntary recall of frozen pizzas with pepperoni toppings because of possible contamination of the pepperoni topping with E. coli.
The recall affects about 414,000 cases of pizza products currently in stores and all similar pizza products in consumers freezers.
It includes eight SKUs (stock keeping units or UPC codes) of Totinos brand frozen pizza and three SKUs of Jenos brand frozen pizza with pepperoni topping, or incorporating pepperoni in combination with other toppings.
The frozen pizza products were produced in the companys Wellston, Ohio, plant and distributed to retail establishments nationwide.
The recall was promoted by an outbreak of 21 cases of E. coli-related illnesses in 10 states. Approximately half of the individuals who became ill were hospitalized as a result.
The earliest case reported to state authorities occurred on July 20, and the latest case reported occurred on Oct. 10. Nine of the 21 people reported having eaten Totinos or Jenos pizza with pepperoni topping at some point prior to becoming ill. Since July 1 of this year, Totinos and Jenos have distributed more than 120 million pizzas nationwide.
General Mills said Totinos and Jenos, working in cooperation with federal and state food safety authorities, launched an investigation immediately upon learning of the potential problem.
In response, General Mills initiated a voluntary Class I recall as a precaution. The investigation is ongoing, and the company said it continues to cooperate fully with all involved state and federal authorities.
E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. Seniors, the very young, and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.
Any consumers concerned about an illness should contact a physician. Anyone diagnosed by a physician as having an illness related to E. coli O157:H7 is also urged to contact state and local public health authorities.
