11/02/2007

MINNEAPOLIS - Totino's and Jeno's today announced a voluntary recall of frozen pizzas with pepperoni toppings because of possible contamination of the pepperoni topping with E. coli O157:H7.

The recall affects approximately 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 Totino's brand frozen pizza and three SKUs of Jeno's brand frozen pizza with pepperoni topping, or incorporating pepperoni in combination with other toppings.

The specific products in the recall include:

The frozen pizza products were produced in the company's Wellston, Ohio, plant and distributed to retail establishments nationwide.

The potential problem was uncovered by state and federal authorities investigating 21 occurrences 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 Totino's or Jeno's pizza with pepperoni topping at some point prior to becoming ill. Since July 1 of this year, Totino's and Jeno's have distributed more than 120 million pizzas nationwide.

Totino's and Jeno's, working in cooperation with federal and state food safety authorities, launched an investigation immediately upon learning of the potential problem.

In response, General Mills, the parent company of Totino's and Jeno's, initiated a voluntary Class I recall as a precaution. The investigation is ongoing, and the company 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.

Consumers can contact Totino's / Jeno's for product replacement by clipping the UPC (bar code) symbol from each pizza box and sending their UPC's, along with their name and address to:

Totino's / Jeno's
P.O. Box 200 - Pizza
Minneapolis, MN 55440-0200

The product itself should be thrown away. Consumers with additional questions about the recall should contact the company at (800) 949-9055.

Contacts:

Consumers - (800) 949-9055