Essex pizza parlor recalls pepperoni products that weren't inspected by food safety authorities
BALTIMORE -- Pizza John's is recalling 156,498 pounds of pepperoni products because those products didn't undergo federal inspection in keeping with food safety protocols, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Essex-based pizza produced the frozen pepperoni products between March 2020 and July 2022, department officials said.
They were shipped to various retail locations in Maryland, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The recall includes 33.25 ounce clear plastic-wrapped packages containing "PIZZA JOHN'S BAKE AT HOME 12 Inch Pepperoni Pizza" with UPC code 9589334921.
Also, the recall includes 57 ounce clear plastic wrapped packages containing "PIZZA JOHN'S BAKE AT HOME 16 Inch Pepperoni Pizza" with UPC code 958939019.
These products do not bear the USDA mark of inspection because Pizza John's is not a federally inspected establishment, department officials said.
The inspection oversight was discovered during routine Food Safety and Inspection Service surveillance activities, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Food Safety and Inspection Service officials are concerned that some of the products may still be in some freezers.
The products should be thrown away or returned to the place where they were purchased but not consumed, department officials said.
To date, there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions to the pizza products, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.