Blog Post 1,000 - Recall those Poisoned Pizzas

To have as my 1000th blog post another story about another recall that is not really a recall is far less amusing than it used to be.  Dana Rebik reported that Recalled Pizza are Still On Store Shelves in Memphis Tennessee.

About 5 million Totino's and Jeno's frozen pizzas with pepperoni are being recalled. The pepperoni may be contaminated with E. coli. Millions of frozen pizzas are being recalled but today we found them still for sale at stores here in Memphis.  We went to a few different grocery stores and found a Totino’s pepperoni pizza still in the freezer at the Save-A-Lot at Jackson and Decatur. We went back into the store to talk to the manager and ask why. He says he thought he had pulled all of them this morning, but must have not seen that one. The manager says he was actually the one who was proactive about pulling these pizzas this morning, after he heard about the recall. He says Save-A-Lot corporate did not send any notice to his store, and he really did think he had gotten them all out.
We have a silly system of food safety in this country.  There should not be poisoned pizzas available for sale.
Posted on November 2, 2007 by Salmonella Lawyer
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Marler Clark Calls on General Mills to Recall All E. coli-Contaminated Totino's and Jeno's Pizza and to Pay the Medical Bills of All 21 Victims



General Mills is the “sixth largest food company in the world” with revenues for 2007 estimated to be nearly $12,500,000,000. General Mills announced today that since July 1 of this year, it had distributed more than 120 million Totino's and Jeno's pizzas nationwide. Surprisingly, in light of 21-reported E. coli illnesses tied to these products, General Mills has only recalled 5 million of the 120 million pizzas produced. “General Mills should immediately expand the recall to all 120 million pizzas produced during the time-frame that people were sickened,” said Bill Marler, the Seattle attorney who has dedicated his law practice to representing victims of E. coli outbreaks. According to the CDC, the earliest case was reported on July 20, and the latest was reported on October 10. The ten states reporting illness are, Illinois (1), Kentucky (3), Missouri (2), New York (2), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (1), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (8), Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (1).

Marler also called on General Mills to immediately pay medical costs for the victims of the E. coli outbreak. “Without assistance in the form of monetary compensation for medical expenses, many of the families with members who were hospitalized will face financial hardship in the coming months when the bills start coming in,” said Marler. “General Mills should do the right thing and begin compensating victims of this outbreak for those most basic needs now,” Marler added.

Marler noted that other companies like Dole, Odwalla, ConAgra and Jack in the Box willingly paid medical bills when their products were identified as the source of E. coli outbreaks. “General Mills knows it’s going to pay those medical expenses in the end in the form of a settlement or jury verdict,” Marler continued. “The question is, since they know their product was the cause of these illnesses, why wait?”

Several times a month Bill speaks to industry and government throughout the United States on why it is important to prevent foodborne illnesses. He is also a frequent commentator on food litigation and safety on www.marlerblog.com. Bill also sponsors several websites related to E. coli, including www.about-ecoli.com, www.about-hus.com and www.ecoliblog.com.  Bill can be reached at bmarler@marlerclark.com or 1-206-346-1890
Posted on November 1, 2007 by E. coli Lawyer
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