21,000 Pounds of a Popular Frozen Pizza Sold at Walmart Just Got Recalled

It seems like there’s always some kind of foodborne illness to worry about: First it was Chipotle, then came Sabra hummus, and now we’re dealing with a listeria contamination affecting 21,000 pounds of a popular frozen pizza.

According to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, mass quantities of the Marketside Extra Large Supreme Pizza were “adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes.” It's now being recalled by its manufacturer -- the Vernon, California-based RBR Meat Company Inc. -- at the behest of the USDA. A 16-inch pie sold at select Walmart stores in California, Nevada, Utah and Washington, the pizza is now being subjected to a Class 1 recall -- which means it’s a pizza you don’t want to eat. Consuming this infected pie can result in any number of maladies stemming from listeriosis -- which “causes  fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.”

Listeriosis causes about 260 deaths in the United States a year and an additional 1,600 illnesses, according to the CDC. So if you see this pizza in your fridge, do the smart thing and throw it in the garbage -- even if your stomach is growling. The USDA warns that eating the pizza could even portend death(!). Class 1 infections are serious business, as the agency notes: “This is a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”

Lest this be a reminder that pizza should not kill you.

 

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Sam Blum is a News Staff Writer for Thrillist. He's also a martial arts and music nerd who appreciates a fine sandwich and cute dogs. Find his clips in The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The A.V. Club and Vice. He's on Twitter @Blumnessmonster.