Mezzetta Recalls Peperoncini After Dead Rodent Found in Jar

The California food maker Mezzetta has pulled back a single batch of its Golden Greek Peperoncini Medium Heat following a customer’s discovery of a dead rodent inside a jar. The company released the recall notice through the FDA.

A woman found a dead baby mouse while preparing a Mississippi-style pot roast, and her Sept. 16 TikTok video has prompted a recall. She held up the Mezzetta jar and said, “There’s a dead baby mouse in my peperoncinis.”

The Recall Notice

In its statement, Mezzetta said it knows about a video spreading through social media that shows what looks like a pest contaminant inside a jar of Mezzetta GOLDEN GREEK PEPERONCINI MEDIUM HEAT, 32-ounce. The firm said it reached out to the customer and acted fast to look into the matter and start a voluntary pull from shelves.

The recall affects 32-ounce jars of Mezzetta golden Greek peperoncini, medium heat, which “may contain foreign objects such as pest contamination,” according to the notice. Mezzetta said it has not received any reports of illness or injury related to the product.

“At this time, the recall is limited to one product from a single production lot,” Mezzetta said in a statement. “Mezzetta has asked its retail partners to remove the affected product from their shelves and notified the FDA. Mezzetta is coordinating with the agency regarding the recall.”

The firm has named the customers who got the recalled item and is “working directly with them to isolate and remove the affected product from sale.” It said it asked for the original tainted goods so it could look at them as part of its probe.

The Customer’s Video

Neither Mezzetta nor the FDA have publicly identified the woman behind the video. She recorded her account of the finding on TikTok.

The company’s response points to the video itself, confirming it has reached out to the customer and is looking into the matter.

Key Facts Box

• Product: Mezzetta GOLDEN GREEK PEPERONCINI MEDIUM HEAT, 32-ounce
• Lot affected: Single production lot
• Video posted: Sept. 16 on TikTok
• Recall notice: Issued with the FDA
• Reports of illness or injury: None received, according to the company

A single reported incident prompted the recall, and companies must react fast when such events arise. Companies often act voluntarily once they become aware of a potential issue, and Mezzetta’s statement confirms it has reached out to the customer and moved quickly to investigate and pull the product.

See the video the story is built around at CBS News.

consumer complaint · FDA · food recall · Mezzetta · peperoncini