http://www.reuters.com/article/compa...AS984320071101

Totino's and Jeno's pizza recalled due to E. coli

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Almost five million Totino's and Jeno's frozen
pizzas with pepperoni toppings are being recalled because the
pepperoni may be contaminated with E. coli, General Mills Inc said on
Thursday.

General Mills, which owns the Totino's and Jeno's brands, said the
recall affects about 414,000 cases of pizza products currently in
stores and all similar pizza products that might be in consumers'
freezers. Each case contains 12 pizzas.

The possible E. coli contamination was uncovered by state and federal
authorities investigating 21 E. coli-related illnesses in 10 states.

General Mills said nine of the 21 people reported having eaten
Totino's or Jeno's pizza with pepperoni topping at some point before
becoming ill.

The people became ill between July 20 and October 10, the USDA's Food
Safety and Inspection Service said, adding that all the patients
recovered.

The people did not have packages with dates codes or other information
General Mills needs to narrow down which pizzas might be affected,
General Mills spokesman Tom Forsythe said, adding that, for the same
reason, the company could not determine which of its suppliers
provided the pepperoni.

E.coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacteria that can cause bloody
diarrhea and dehydration. The very young, seniors and persons with
compromised immune systems are the most vulnerable to food borne
disease.

The recall includes eight types of Totino's brand frozen pizza and
three types of Jeno's brand frozen pizza with pepperoni topping, or
pepperoni in combination with other toppings.

The frozen pizzas were produced in its Wellston, Ohio, plant and
distributed throughout the United States. The plant is currently
making other pizzas, but not with pepperoni, General Mills spokesman
Tom Forsythe said.

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You get the message: US made products may be just as bad as Chinese
manufactured ones: So many products may be tainted with E-coli like
last fall's lettuce. Protectionism can go both ways. I'd rather not
have Pelosi and her protectionist congress dumping on China just
because their own consumers prefer Chinese stuff to their own
industry. The US should fix their own trade deficit rather than
picking on China in vain.

David Huang