USDA announces voluntary recall of several Totino's, Jeno's frozen pizzas Published Nov. 4, 2007 By Defense Commissary Agency FORT LEE, Va. -- General Mills is voluntarily recalling an undetermined number of its Totino's and Jeno's frozen pizza products because of possible contamination with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Nov. 1. As a result, the Defense Commissary Agency is removing the following products from its shelves, food safety officials said: · Totino's, Party Supreme, UPC - 42800-10700 (sold in stateside and DeCA Europe commissaries) · Totino's 3 Meat, UPC - 42800-10800 (sold in stateside commissaries only) · Totino's Pepperoni, UPC - 42800-11400 (sold in all commissaries worldwide) · Totino's Party Combo; UPC - 42800-11600 (sold in all commissaries worldwide) · Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Pepperoni, UPC - 35300-00572 (sold in all commissaries worldwide) · Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Combo, UPC - 35300-00576 (sold in all commissaries worldwide) The frozen meat pizza products subject to recall were produced on or before Oct. 30 and were distributed to retail establishments nationwide. 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 potential problem was uncovered by state and federal authorities investigating 21 occurrences of E. coli-related illnesses in 10 states. About 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. 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. Commissary patrons who have any of these products at home should stop consuming it, throw away the product and return the UPC (bar code) symbol from each pizza box to the store from which they purchased it for a full refund. Consumers with questions about the recall should contact the company at (800) 949-9055. Consumers can also send their UPCs, along with their name and address to: Totino's / Jeno's, P.O. Box 200 - Pizza, Minneapolis, Minn., 55440-0200. For more information on this recall, go to http://www.generalmills.com. Commissary patrons can also get more information on this and other recalls by going to the DeCA Web site at http://www.commissaries.com, visit the "Food Safety" section and access links to various consumer safety sites.