General Mills announced the recall of 5 million frozen pizzas sold under the Jeno's and Totino's labels because of possible contamination of the pepperoni topping with E. coli. The recall includes six varieties of Totino's pizza and three kinds of Jeno's pies, all with pepperoni toppings. The company is asking consumers to search their freezers for the pizzas and discard them and has directed stores to remove them from their freezers.

According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the USDA, the recall follows a multi-state outbreak in which 21 illnesses were reported in 10 states: Illinois (1), Kentucky (3), Missouri (2), New York (2), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (8), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (1). Half of the individuals who became ill were hospitalized as a result. The onset of symptoms ranged between July 20 and Oct. 10. No deaths have been reported and various state and federal health agencies are continuing to investigate.

E. coli O157:H7m, the strain involved, is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration.  Seniors, the very young, and persons with compromised immune systems are most susceptible to foodborne illness.

The frozen pizzas were produced in the company’s Wellston, Ohio, plant and sold nationwide. General Mills said the pepperoni came from a supplier. Each package 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 following products are subject to the recall: 

• 10.2-ounce packages of "Totino's The Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza Pepperoni."
• 10.2-ounce packages of "Totino's The Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Classic Pepperoni."
• 10.2-ounce packages of "Totino's The Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Pepperoni Trio."
• 10.7-ounce packages of "Totino's The Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Combination Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza."
• 10.5-ounce packages of "Totino's The Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Three Meat Sausage, Canadian Style Bacon & Pepperoni Pizza."
• 10.9-ounce packages of "Totino's The Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza, Supreme Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza with Green Peppers & Onions."
• 6.8-ounce packages of "Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Pizza, Pepperoni."
• 7.0-ounce packages of "Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Pizza, Combination Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza."
• 7.2-ounce packages of "Jeno's Crisp 'n Tasty Pizza, Supreme Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza with Green Peppers and Onions."

Consumers can contact Totino’s  or Jeno’s for product replacement by clipping the UPC (bar code) symbol from each pizza box and sending the 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 can contact the company at (800) 949-9055.