After a hard day or week at work, sometimes we just shuffle home, shove a frozen pizza in the oven, and become one with the couch. There's a special kind of pleasure in it, associating the taste of a frozen pizza with the moment one finally gets to relax.
We all know what to expect from our pizza: stretchy mozzarella, rich marinara, maybe pepperoni or mushrooms or onion. Whether veggie pizza is your jam or you're an all the meats, all the time kind of person, you pretty much know what toppings you're getting into when you prepare a frozen pizza for dinner.
Except metal. Which should never be a pizza topping.
USDA Recalls Frozen Pizza Brand
On Sunday, August 14, the USDA issued an announcement that it would recall 13,099 pounds of frozen meat pizza product, reason being it "may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically metal."
The Illinois-based brand Chicago's Home Run Inn is the maker of this steely pie, and is typically sold in major stores such as Walmart (WMT) and Target (TGT), as well as grocery stores such as Kroger (KR) and Publix.
If you happen to have one in your freezer, the pizzas that could be harmful to your health are called the Deluxe Sausage Classic Pizza and are labeled with a best by date of December 3, 2022.
Another way to identify the product is to look for establishment number EST. 18498 inside the USDA mark of inspection.
The problem was identified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) after a consumer complained that they found metal in the pizzas. Luckily, there have been no formal reports of anyone being injured due to this, meaning they either realized the metal was there while they were chewing or have impressively strong stomachs.
Naturally, the FSIS would like very much if people in possession of these pizzas refrain from eating them. The products should either be thrown away or returned to the place consumers got them (although whoever you speak to about a return may not believe you at first when you tell them your pizza has metal in it).
Food Recalls This Year
While food recalls are fairly common, something such as metal in the food is a bit of a rarity. There are a few more recent recalls to watch out for, however.
First on the list are King's Hawaiian Pretzel bun products, which were recalled on August 13 for the potential of containing microbial contamination. Customers are advised to dispose of the product or contact King's Hawaiian if they'd like a replacement at 877-695-4227.
Fifth Season, a salad kit company, also issued a voluntary recall for its Crunchy Sesame Salad Kits on August 14, as the label does not declare that milk and eggs are in the product and could cause allergic reactions for some. It asks that customers discard the products and contact Rich Mosgrove or Hatie Gondoza by phone at 412-899-2268 if they have any questions.
Lastly, if you love to shop at Trader Joe's, be aware that its Soft-Baked Snickerdoodle cookies were recently recalled as well. Parent company Enjoy Life Natural Brands LLC issued the recall due to the potential presence of hard plastic pieces in the products. Enjoy Life encourages that consumers throw the products away and contact them at 1-855-543-5335 to obtain a refund.
