CPK and Digiorno Frozen Pizza Recall Issued Due to Plastic Contamination

Federal food safety officials have announced a recall of several types of frozen pizzas sold nationwide under the Digiorno and California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) brand names, due to possible contamination with sharp plastic fragments that may pose a risk for consumers when the pizzas are eaten.  

The California Pizza Kitchen and DiGiorno Pizza recall was announced on May 2, including two types of each pizza due to a risk that the frozen products may be contaminated with plastic fragments that could cause lacerations and internal injuries.

The problems were discovered after consumer complaints indicated that there were sharp triangular pieces of plastic in the frozen pizzas, resulting in at least one injury for a consumer who chipped their tooth after biting into the pizza.

The manufacturer, Nestle Pizza Company, has determined the foreign plastic pieces are associated with spinach used in the production process for the recalled pizzas.

Frozen pizzas recalled include those with the following UPC and production codes: California Pizza Kitchen© Limited Edition Grilled Chicken with Cabernet Sauce with UPC 71921 00781 and production code 3059525952; DiGiorno Crispy Flatbread Pizza Tuscan Style Chicken with UPC 71921 02663 and production code 3057525922 and 3058525921; DiGiorno pizzeria! Bianca/White Pizza with UPC 71921 91484 and production code 3068525951; and California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) Crispy Thin Crust White with UPC 71921 98745 and production codes 3062525951, 3062525952 and 3063525951.

Consumers may locate the production codes on a blue or pink rectangular box on one of the sides of the pizza box. The production codes are the first ten digits printed on the second line within the box.

The recalled pizzas were produced by Nestle Pizza Company of a Little Chute, Wisconsin between February 2013 and March 2013 where they were distributed directly to retailers nationwide.

Extraneous materials such as plastic may enter food products due to problems at several points within the production process. Prior recalls have been linked to faulty manufacturing maintenance or failure to inspect items received from suppliers.

In January, Thomas, Sara Lee and Weight Watchers brand bagels were recalled due to the presence of metal fragments entering the product through a faulty manufacturing part. In September of 2012, roughly 11,000 cases of Kashi frozen pizzas were recalled after it was discovered that some of the pizzas contained small pieces of plastic. Roughly 2,250 pounds of frozen “Millford Valley Farms Crunchy Chicken Strips” sold under the Milford Valley Farms label were recalled last September due to a risk that they may contain small plastic pieces and pose a choking hazard for consumers and especially small children.

Consumers with recalled frozen pizzas should stop eating the product immediately and contact Nestle USA Consumer Services at (800) 456-4394 or email them at nestlepizza@casupport.com for instructions on how to obtain a free replacement coupon or to possibly schedule a retrieval of the product to be further examined.