Recall: Stefano's Pepperoni Calzones sold at Walmart

There has been a nationwide recall of Stefano’s Pepperoni Five Cheese Calzones due to the possible presence of pieces of hard, sharp plastic. These products are sold at Walmart and several consumers have reported issues with the product.

The specific recalled product includes:

8-oz. deli tray of “Stefano’s Calzone PEPPERONI FIVE CHEESE STUFFED WITH PEPPERONI AND A FIVE CHEESE BLEND,” with “Lot Code 14318B” on the individual packages and “USE BY DATE 1/18/2019” on the product cases.

They have the establishment number “EST. M-19140” inside the USDA mark of inspection and were produced on May 23, 2018.

Following is the recall notice from the USDA website:

"Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp., doing business as Stefano Foods., a Charlotte, N.C. establishment, is recalling approximately 24,048 pounds of pepperoni five cheese calzones that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically pieces of hard, sharp, clear plastic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The not fully cooked pepperoni five cheese calzone products were produced on May 23, 2018. The following products are subject to recall:

8-oz. deli tray of “Stefano’s Calzone PEPPERONI FIVE CHEESE STUFFED WITH PEPPERONI AND A FIVE CHEESE BLEND,” with “Lot Code 14318B” on the individual packages and “USE BY DATE 1/18/2019” on the product cases.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. M-19140” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail stores nationwide.                

The problem was discovered after several consumers contacted Stefano Foods about the problem. On July 16, 2018, the company notified FSIS.

One consumer reported experiencing a small oral laceration during consumption of the product. Anyone concerned about an injury or illness should contact a healthcare provider.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers’ and retailers freezers. Consumers and retailers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution lists will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Wendy Johnson, Consumers Affairs Manager, Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp., at WJohnson@Smithfield.com or 1-877-933-4625. Members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Diana Souder, Director of Corporate Communications, Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp., at DSouder@smithfield.com or (757) 357-1675.

Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. The online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/reportproblem."

For more information see the usda.gov website.