Frozen Pizza Recall Expanded Over E. Coli Concerns

A frozen pizza recall has been expanded by Rich Products Corp. in Buffalo, New York over a possible E.coli contamination.

The recall now includes more than 10 million pounds of frozen pizzas produced at the company’s plant in Waycross, Georgia.

According to UPI, the voluntary recall includes all products with “Best By” dates between January 1, 2013 and September 29, 2013. The company previously issued a recall on March 28 for 196,000 pounds of frozen chicken quesadillas and other frozen snack items.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 24 cases of E. coli 0121 across 15 states. Bill Gisel, Rich’s president and chief executive officer, said that he was not aware of anyone becoming sick from one of the frozen pizzas but said that since the company could not pinpoint the cause of the contamination it was decided to expand the recall.

Gisel said: “When it became apparent to us that, despite the expertise of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, the scientific community and our own experts, identification of a specific cause was not going to be a simple or short process, we decided to act proactively to expand the recall.”

MSNBC reports that E. coli 0121 is a rare strain of the disease that can cause kidney failure or even death. Most people will experience symptoms like bloody diarrhea and cramps while others can develop hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, which can cause kidney failure.

You can see a full list of all the recalled products here.