General Mills announced Friday a voluntary recall of Totino’s and Jeno’s frozen pizzas because of possible E. coli contamination of the pepperoni topping.

Three reported E. coli cases were in Kentucky, and the investigation is ongoing.

The recall hasn’t affected Western’s food services department.

The Bate Shop sells pizza, but not the recalled brands. Officials checked the stock when the recall was announced, said Roy Biggers, director of Dining Services.

“As soon as we saw it, we went looking,” he said.

The rest of the pizzas at campus eateries are made from scratch, and aren’t affected by the possible contamination.

In the community, environmentalists from the Warren County Health Department routinely check stores and restaurants to make sure that no food on current recall lists is being sold, said Chip Kraus, public health services coordinator for the department.

State and federal authorities discovered the potential problem after investigating 21 E. coli-related illnesses in 10 states between July 20 and Oct. 10, General Mills spokeswoman Kirstie Foster said.

Nine of those people reported eating Totino’s or Jeno’s pizza with pepperoni topping at some point before becoming ill.

General Mills learned of the possible problem on Oct. 30 and launched an immediate investigation into the incidents, along with state and federal authorities, Foster said.

“To date, we have found no evidence of contamination in our facilities or in Totino’s or Jeno’s pizza,” she said. “We issued the recall as a precaution.”

The type of E. coli identified, E. coli O157:H7, is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea and dehydration, especially in senior citizens, children and people who have compromised immune systems.

The recall affects about 414,000 cases of pizza products in stores and purchased by customers. The products were made in the company’s Wellston, Ohio factory.

Recalled products include Totino’s Party Supreme, Totino’s Three Meat, Totino’s Pepperoni, Totino’s Classic Pepperoni, Totino’s Pepperoni Trio, Totino’s Party Combo, Totino’s Combo, Jeno’s Crisp ‘n Tasty Supreme, Jeno’s Crisp ‘n Tasty Pepperoni and Jeno’s Crisp ‘n Tasty Combo.

General Mills is cooperating with state and federal authorities in the ongoing investigation, Foster said.

The investigation is progressing well at the state level, said Beth Fisher, an information officer for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Officials tested reported E. coli cases in state labs to see if they matched with the national outbreak, and three cases did.

The cases are spread throughout the state, not clustered in a common area, but there isn’t any information yet about where in Kentucky the cases were reported, Fisher said.

The state health department is working with local health departments to keep track of people who have contracted the bacterium, she said. They’re checking on those people’s progress and eating habits.

The department isn’t aware of any new cases, Fisher said. The state must report confirmed cases to the Centers for Disease Control.

Reach Amber Coulter at news@chherald.com.