Thousands of chicken and bacon pizzas and snack items are being recalled over a potentially fatal bacterial contamination.
Health officials issued the alert for seven Walmart, Aldi and local stores’ products sold nationwide on Friday, also including pork rinds and breakfast pizzas.
They warned the products had been made with dry milk powder that had already been recalled over a salmonella contamination, suggesting the products were now also contaminated.
The foods have been sold under brands including Great Value and Mama Cozzi’s and have sell-by dates up to November this year.
No illnesses have been reported to date, but officials are raising the alarm.
People infected with salmonella suffer from diarrhea, abdominal cramps and a fever within six hours to six days of infection.
Healthy adults recover within a week, but vulnerable people – including infants and the elderly – can be hospitalized by severe diarrhea and develop potentially fatal dehydration without treatment.
Anyone who has purchased the products has been urged not to consume them and to throw them out immediately.
Products in the recall included Walmart’s Great Value chicken bacon ranch pizzas, shown above
A pizza sold under Aldi’s Mama Cozzi label was also included in the label
Pork rinds were also included in the recall over fears they could also be contaminated with salmonella
Health officials say it is also possible to return the foods to stores for a full refund.
Businesses and restaurants that may have purchased the products are also being told to throw them out or return them to sellers for a full refund.
Anyone with food safety questions or who believes they have experienced symptoms is urged to contact their local health provider.
It was not clear how many products were recalled or when they were on freezer shelves.
Of the seven products in the recall, two were from Walmart. These were its Great Value Thin Crust Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza and Great Value Stuffed Crust Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza.
Two others were from Aldi, which were its Mama Cozzi’s Biscuit Crust Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Pizza and Mama Cozzi’s Biscuit Crust Cooked Pork Belly Crumbles, Cooked Bacon Topping, Pepper and Onion Breakfast Pizza.
Health officials warned people not to consume the products and to throw them out immediately or return them to sellers for a full refund
Two others were from seller Pork King Good, which were its Sour Cream and Onion Pork Rinds and Party Size Sour Cream and Onion Pork Rinds, while there was also one product from Culinary Circle, its Ultra Thin Crust Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza.
Full lot numbers of the affected products were revealed on the FDA’s website.
Health officials at the Food Safety and Inspection Service, who issued the recall, said they expect to add more products to the recall list.
Infections with salmonella are diagnosed using a lab test of someone’s stool.
Treatment for the infection involves using antibiotics, which can clear an infection.
The CDC estimates that salmonella causes about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths in the US every year.
