A recall over a possible salmonella contamination was expanded to include two frozen pizzas sold at one of the nation’s popular grocery chains.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) expanded its recall to six different products on Friday, May 1, including two frozen pizzas sold at Walmart. According to the agency, the recall concerns a potential salmonella outbreak in meat and poultry products prepared with a previously recalled dry milk powder.
As of May 3, two pizzas manufactured for Great Value, Walmart’s in-house label, were affected — the Thin Crust Chicken Bacon Ranch and Stuffed Crust Chicken Bacon Ranch. The recall previously included two Mama Cozzi’s pizzas sold exclusively at Aldi, including the Biscuits Crust Sausage & Cheese Breakfast Pizza, and Biscuit Crust Cooked Pork Belly Crumbles, Cooked Bacon Topping, Pepper & Onion Breakfast Pizza.
In an emailed statement, a Walmart spokesperson said that the health and safety of its customers is “always a top priority.”
“We have issued a sales restriction and removed this product from our impacted stores,” the spokesperson added. “We are working with the supplier to investigate.”
‘Downstream Products’ Identified
The current public health alert was initially published on April 30 but updated on May 1. The Food Safety and Inspection Service said that it “expects additional downstream products will be identified as this ingredient recall progresses.”
In April, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company voluntarily recalled several powdered beverage products after a supplier recalled milk powder used as an ingredient over possible salmonella contamination, according to the company and the Food and Drug Administration.
There have been no confirmed reports of illness tied to the recall, according to the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Aside from the pizzas and Ghirardelli products, the dry milk powder recall also includes Sour Cream and Onion Pork Rinds distributed by Pork King Good, as well as an Ultra Thin Crust Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza distributed by Culinary Circle.
Salmonella Symptoms and Risks
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that salmonella is a leading cause of foodborne illnesses in the United States. It is also a leading cause of hospitalizations and deaths linked to foodborne illnesses.
Its symptoms, which usually appear within six hours to six days of consuming a contaminated product, include:
Watery diarrhea that might have blood or mucus.
Stomach cramps, which can be severe.
Headache.
Nausea.
Vomiting.
Loss of appetite.
While most people recover without treatment in four to seven days, vulnerable groups — older adults, infants, and anyone with a weakened immune system — could experience more severe illness requiring hospitalization.
The Department of Agriculture has urged customers or retailers who have the affected products to either throw them away or return them to the place of purchase. People with food safety questions may contact the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854 or email questions to [email protected].
