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James

 Rep: 664 

Re: WARNING! Frozen Pizza Recall due to E Coli

James wrote:

I wanted to post this as quickly as possible since these are the two biggest selling frozen pizza brands and there's a good chance some of you have these in your freezer. I bought five Totino's pizzas when I went shopping the other day.

General Mills on Thursday recalled about 5 million frozen pizzas sold nationwide under the Totino's and Jeno's labels because of possible E. coli contamination.

MINNEAPOLIS - General Mills on Thursday recalled about 5 million frozen pizzas sold nationwide under the Totino's and Jeno's labels because of possible E. coli contamination. The problem may have come from pepperoni on pizzas produced at a General Mills plant in Ohio, the suburban Minneapolis-based company said. It said the pepperoni itself came from a separate supplier, not produced at the plant itself, but it declined to release the name of the pepperoni distributor. The voluntary recall covers pizzas containing pepperoni that have been produced since July, when the first of 21 E. coli illnesses under investigation by state and federal authorities emerged. Nine of the 21 people reported eating Totino's or Jeno's pizza with pepperoni topping at some point before becoming ill. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that eight of the victims have been hospitalized, and four have developed a type of kidney failure. Eight of the cases were reported in Tennessee, with the other cases found in smaller numbers in Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin and South Dakota. "We took action on that basis as a precaution, because of the possibility that a link might exist," said General Mills spokesman Tom Forsythe. "However, to date we have found no E. coli in our plant, and we have found no E. coli in our products." The company asks consumers to throw away recalled pizzas. They can get replacements by clipping the bar code from the box and mailing it with their name and address to Totino's/Jeno's, P.O. Box 200 -- Pizza, Minneapolis, MN 55440-0200. Symptoms of E. coli can include stomach cramps and diarrhea. People typically are ill for two to five days but can develop complications including kidney failure. In late September, the Topps Meat Co. recalled 21.7 million pounds of frozen hamburger patties after 40 people in eight states got sick from contaminated beef believed to have been imported from Canada. The New Jersey-based company shut down several days later. The following 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." The packages bear 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. The frozen meat products were produced on or before Oct. 30 and were distributed nationwide. So far, there has been one illness in Wisconsin that may be linked to this product. Illnesses have also occurred in: Illinois (1), Kentucky (3), Missouri (2), New York (2), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (8), Virginia (1). Consumers with questions about the recall should contact company Consumer Hotline at (800) 949-9055. E. coli is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, seniors and persons with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible to food borne illness.