Food safety officials have issued a warning about Trader Joe’s frozen pepperoni pizzas made in Italy. These pizzas, which were on their way to stores in Southern California, skipped important safety checks during import.
The alert specifically targets pizzas with SKU# 79898 and Best By Dates of 8/16/26 and 8/21/26. Over 60 stores received this shipment. If you have these pizzas, check for lot numbers 06/16/25 and 06/21/25 printed on the bottom of the packages. A paperwork mix-up caused the missed inspection.
You can spot the affected pizzas by looking for “IT 1558 L UE” inside the Italian inspection mark. Officials are urging customers to act fast to keep everyone safe. Federal rules require thorough inspections of imported meats before they can be sold in the U.S. Once the oversight was discovered, all affected pizzas were pulled from store freezers.
The USDA is asking customers to check their freezers. If you find any matching pizzas, throw them out or return them to the store. So far, no one has reported getting sick from these pizzas. If you have questions about the alert, you can call the store at 626-599-3817.
Safety officials send out these alerts whenever inspections are missed, even if there’s no immediate risk. While Italy approved the facility for exports, U.S. rules still require extra checks before products can be sold here. Stay safe and keep an eye on your pizza stash!
