Wal-Mart supplier recalls almost 11 tons of frozen pizzas

Frozen pizza sold at Wal-Mart stores in the West, including Utah, have been recalled. A sample box is shown. Undated. | Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that a pizza sold in Wal-Mart stores in the West may be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes and is recalling 21,220 pounds of frozen pizza product.

Sample of label found on recalled pizzas from Wal-Mart. Undated | Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Agriculture, St. George News

Only one pizza is subject to the recall. It is a supreme frozen pizza with a shrink-wrapped 16-inch pizza labeled as “Marketside Extra Large Supreme Pizza.”

Consumers need to look for the lot code 20547, the manufacture date of Feb. 23, 2017 and bearing the establishment number “EST.1821” inside of the USDA mark of inspection.

The affected pizzas were shipped to Wal-Mart distribution centers in Utah, California, Nevada and Washington by RBR Meat Company Inc. of Vernon, California.

The problem was discovered during routine sampling by RBR. No adverse reactions have been confirmed due to consumption of the product.

The news release from the FSIS states:

Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected.

Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics. Persons in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food.

There is concern that unused product is still in consumer’s freezers. FSIS said that consumers who bought the pizzas are urged to return them to the place of purchase or simply discard them.

Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact Eunice Wu, QA Director, at 323-826-2144 Ext. 190.

Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 888-MPHotline  is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST/EDT Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. The online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews | @NewsWayman

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

 

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1 Comment

  • comments March 18, 2017 at 10:54 am

    In case you needed another reason not to shop at walmart…

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