Seems like I recall that someone talked about Totino’s pizza when we posted about “food we lie about.”
This is from AP: General Mills says it’s recalling almost five million frozen pizzas sold under the Totino’s and Jeno’s label because of possible E. coli contamination.
The company says the problem may come from pepperoni produced at
an Ohio plant. General Mills says state and federal authorities
have been investigating 21 E. coli illnesses in 10 states including
Tennessee.
Nine of those 21 people reported eating Totino’s or Jeno’s pizza
with pepperoni topping at some point before becoming ill. Eight of
the cases were reported in Tennessee.
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.
—
Eds: The specific products in the recall, with SKU, include:
Totino’s Party Supreme, 42800-10700.
Totino’s Three Meat, 42800-10800.
Totino’s Pepperoni, 42800-11400.
Totino’s Pepperoni, 42800-92114.
Totino’s Classic Pepperoni, 42800-11402.
Totino’s Pepperoni Trio, 42800-72157.
Totino’s Party Combo, 42800-11600.
Totino’s Combo, 42800-92116.
Jeno’s Crisp ‘n Tasty Supreme, 35300-00561.
Jeno’s Crisp ‘n Tasty Pepperoni, 35300-00572.
Jeno’s Crisp ‘n Tasty Combo, 35300-00576.
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Responses to “Why does it always have to be E. coli?”
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:28 am
This recall involves the E. Coli strain H0157:57 which produces a toxin that attacks the lining of the intestine, causing severe bloody diarrhea with dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. It also can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can be fatal. Most outbreaks are associated with undercooked ground beef and raw vegetable products such as alfalfa sprouts, leaf spinach, bagged salad mixes, and the like. Dry cured meats like salami and pepperoni have been a source of infection, but usually when eaten without cooking. I’m a little suprised that people got sick after eating pizza that was cooked in the oven, but I suppose that those real thin pizzas are “ready” to eat before the pepperoni is sterilized by the oven’s heat. (With beef cuts, the E. Coli, if present, is only on the surface of the meat. That is why a rare or medium-rare steak is perfectly safe-the bacteria on the surface are killed during cooking, and the interior remains sterile. However, to make ground beef, one grinds the contaminated surface into the mixture-possibly dangerous. Also, for the same reason, one should never pierce a steak or other beef cut to tenderize it or to introduce seasonings to the interior if the meat won’t be cooked to 160 degrees.)
It’s not always E. Coli. Everyone knows the “danger” of mayo based foods at picnics-potato salad, cole slaw, and pasta salad to name a few. However, there is nothing bad about warm mayo, except it might not taste too good. Potato salad sitting on a table for hours doesn’t somehow turn into some rancid, dangerous product all by itself. The contamination comes from the hands of the preparer while cutting up the potatoes, or cabbage, or onion, or whatever. The dish is not cooked, and the bacteria from the hands grows rapidly at room or higher temperatures. Common skin bacteria like Staph are often implicated. Luckily, this type of food poisoning is rarely serious, but I’ve never seen a patient who enjoyed abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and vomiting.
When preparing food, especially food that is not to be further cooked, please, my friends, wash your hands carefully and frequently!
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:45 am
Yikes, I had three of these in my freezer, my husband likes to eat them when I’m eating “healthy food.”
I noticed in another article that this has been going on since July, and only now are they getting around to a recall. I’m with Jim in wondering why cooking the pizza doesn’t kill the bacteria.
Anyway, it’s not always e. coli, a couple of times recently it’s been salmonella! And listerosis is common in cheese and lunch meats.
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:47 pm
relax, folks, relax
its the free market as envisioned by GWShrub:
why drive the cost of food up with those silly inspection rules, when for a lot less you can eat unsafe food, get sick and maybe die?
and dont think fo rone moment im being snarky!
just look at the consumer products safety commission and the poisionus junk they are allowing in from china?
feeling safer now?
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:57 pm
I’m not really surprised by the “sudden” number of contaminated food recalls. Folks are getting lazier. Those that aren’t are in a perpetual hurry(i.e. too busy to properly wash hands or catch a sneeze in a tissue)and forgo routine hygiene procedures….spreading diseases they might not even know they are carrying. Case in point, the outbreak of Hepatitis A we had locally about 10+ years ago. It seemed to be perpetuated by fast food workers not washing up after going number 2!
Granted it’s probably not how this recall came about, but these same behaviors may have played a part in how far the bacteria spread. A production line that hasn’t been properly cleaned or an employee cross-contaminating with their hands or dirty equipment is just as bad(if not worse) as a sick fast-food worker handling people’s meals.
November 4th, 2007 at 2:42 am
I read another article on this, and the interesting part is that there’s no evidence that there’s anything wrong with the pizzas. No e.coli has been found in the pizza or the factory, and only 9 out of the 21 people ill had eaten pizza at some time during the week before they became ill. That’s fewer than half, and it makes me wonder, if you polled a random sample of people, how many have eaten a frozen pizza in the past week?
November 4th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Yeah, I think I was the one who confessed my love of those things. I was thinking of having one the other day. I’m glad I didn’t. I’ve been frozen pizza free for about 3 months.
November 6th, 2007 at 2:34 am
I’ve never been so thankful for my antagonistic relationship with pepperoni. (Something in it always makes me nauseous, even if it’s only a tiny amount on one of those everything-but-the-kitchen-sink pizzas—thus lifelong avoidance.)
November 6th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Did anybody read the article in the Sunday paper about staph infections? One point that was made is that staph germs live in a person’s nose, but the person might simply be a carrier & not actually have a staph infection. I have always wondered how safe it was to eat pepperoni right out of the package without cooking it first. So long, antipasto(!)
November 7th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Jennifer,
Thought you might be interested in a new Barbeque restaurant. It is very small and call BBand More. It is on Kirby road and a little past Poplar next to Tropical Smoothie. The barbeque plate was really good. It has been open for 3 days.
November 8th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Yup, I’m another Totinos lover. I’ve eaten 2 in the last month. Feelin ‘ fine…
10 comment.