MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 2, 2007
5 Million Frozen Pizzas Recalled
General Mills' Totino's and Jeno's Pizzas With Pepperoni Possible Cause Of E. Coli Illnesses
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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. (AP / CBS)
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Fast Facts E. coli Learn more about a dangerous strain of a common bacteria.
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 recall affects approximately 414,000 cases of pizza products currently in stores and all similar pizza products in consumers’ freezers, according to the General Mills website.
General Mills said it is cooperating fully with the investigation, which is continuing. The company said it is not naming the pepperoni supplier because the source of the E. coli is still under investigation.
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 specific products in the recall, with SKU, include:
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
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See all 25 CommentsWhy are people posting the poison into this? If pizzas are bad, they are bad. I do not see the reason of telling me that my human right are I have the CPI Consumers Price Index as measure and I have my choice so I will do what I want to. The future generation or now the modern youth from 16 to 30 are already buying guns like candy. Why? We have the choice. Why should any one ask my liberty? When my son or daughter is shot, I will call the prophet to heal him and send the shot and the one who pulled the trigger and who blew himself to heaven. Both deserve this in the modern language is it not? The blown go to heaven. Don%u2019t they. I am not sure about my son or daughter. Sir this is total ignorance by the parents and has nothing to do with the society or the schools or religion or the bringing up of the son or daughter. It is the parents after the kids have gone to school and learnt the ideal life if there is any;
I thank you
Firozali A.Mulla MBA PhD
P.O.Box 6044
Dar-Es-Salaam
Tanzania
East Africa
Sir
It may be a blow to the sellers but at least it the life saving for the consumers. There Chinese toys with the lead paints. The Chinese industry was watching the toys sales and loss ones recalled of these toys. The question I always put is,%u201D Even the chips that burnt in the notebook computers were dangerous and were recalled so, there is nothing new in the calling and even if there is a loss, this should be for the advantage for the consumers. After all, it is the lives we are playing with not of animals but humans
I thank you
Firozali A.Mulla MBA PhD
P.O.Box 6044
Dar-Es-Salaam
Tanzania
East Africa
Posted by aalbright08 at 04:57 PM : Nov 02, 2007
-I''d recommand you to visit a Clinic or Laboratory for fast detection of toxins related to E-coli.
-On a less serious note, if she dies, don''t bring her to General Mills. I''m afraid they''d cut her into pieces and put her back on their famous Pizzaaaahhhh! LOL!
Sorry JetRanger7
Pepperoni is an Italian-American variety of dry salami usually made of pork. Muslims don%u2019t eat pork.
Posted by JetRanger7 at 12:11 PM : Nov 02, 2007
-I''m afraid the Talibans would any of this. It''s all pork based processed meat. They will turn it back to the GI''s. With all the nefast consequences, I''d recommand to send those pizzas to the hogs in the White House and its corridors who, once they heat it up while baking it, will kill the poisonous-infectious agent E.coli, in it. But I''m still hoping one part would stay uncooked, to be eaten by the Walking-Liar. I wish him a large diarrhoea, so he could be emptied from his main and essential substance. LOL!
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