Frozen Pizza Recall: 10 Million Pounds of Rich Products Corp's Foods
Rich Products Corporation announced Thursday that they were going to voluntarily recall roughly 10 million pounds of frozen pizza and other frozen food products. They believe the food could have been contaminated with E. coli O121, scientifically referred to as Escherichia coli O121 bacteria.
Reports indicate that the company suspects the contamination occurred in their production facility in Waycross, Ga. The company stated that products containing the Farm Rich and Market Day labels could be contaminated and are focusing on those specific products containing the "Best By" dates ranging from January 1, 2013 to September 29, 2014.
The company's official website explains that their decision to start the recall was a result of the Centers for Disease Control revealing there was a total of 24 cases of E. coli reported in 15 states.
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"While Rich Products is unaware of any illnesses associated with the products included in the expanded recall, its unwavering safety commitment to its customers caused it to take this action," reads the company's website.
Even though the infections have yet to be traced back to the company, its CEO decided that it would be better to err on the side of caution and initiate the recall of their products.
"When it became apparent to us that, despite the expertise of the USDA, the FDA, 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," Bill Gisel, the company's current president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
Health experts revealed that symptoms related to E. coli contamination include abdominal cramps, diarrhea and blood in the stool. They added that the average recovery time is between 5-10 days, with children and the elderly having a higher risk of experiencing health complications.
