Great Michigan Pizza Funeral

Last updated

Ilario Fabbrini, owner of the frozen pizza manufacturer, watches the pizza burial. Michigan pizza funeral.png
Ilario Fabbrini, owner of the frozen pizza manufacturer, watches the pizza burial.

The Great Michigan Pizza Funeral (also referred to as the Great Pizza Funeral of Michigan and the Great Pizza Burial) was the ceremonial disposal of 29,188 frozen cheese-and-mushroom pizzas in Ossineke, Michigan on March 5, 1973. [1] [2] The manufacturer, Ilario "Mario" Fabbrini, [3] had been ordered to recall the pizzas by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after initial tests suggested the presence of botulism-causing bacteria in a batch of canned mushrooms.

Contents

Fabbrini decided to ceremonially dispose of the pizzas to demonstrate accountability and receive publicity. The pizzas were tipped into an 18-foot (5.5 m) deep hole in the ground before a crowd of onlookers, who were addressed by Michigan governor William Milliken. Later tests by the FDA ruled out botulism. Fabbrini sued his suppliers, and the Michigan Court of Appeals awarded him $211,000 in 1979, though he closed his business a few years later.

Background

Ilario Fabbrini came from Rijeka, Croatia. Having lived under fascist rule and then in communist Yugoslavia, he emigrated to the United States after World War II. Settling in Ossineke, Michigan, he began making and selling frozen pizzas from his home kitchen. [4] Fabbrini's wife, Olga, helped him adapt the traditional recipes of his hometown to suit American tastes. [4] [5] Within nine years, Fabbrini had grown his business, Papa Fabbrini Pizzas, into one of the most modern pizza factories in the country. [1] [4] His plant, which employed 22 people, could produce 45,000 pizzas a week. [4]

Alleged botulism contamination

In January 1973, employees at the United Canning Company of East Palestine, Ohio, noticed several cans of mushrooms were swelling, indicating contamination. [4] [6] [7] The plant had recently switched to an automated can-filling line, which was less sterile than the previous method of hand-filling, and also led to some overfilling of the cans. United Canning notified the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which took samples for testing. [7]

The FDA stated that their tests confirmed the presence of botulism, a potentially fatal disease in humans. [7] [1] The customers of United Canning were contacted by the FDA, including Tolono Pizza Products, a Chicago wholesaler who had sold the mushrooms to Fabbrini. [7] Fabbrini was himself contacted by the FDA on February 19, 1973, and told to recall his products. [4]

Fabbrini estimated that 30,000 pizzas were involved, costing him $30,000 and a retail value of around $60,000. [4] [1] This was the largest recall of pizzas in American history then. [1] The FDA found no evidence of illness caused by Fabbrini's pizzas, although 17 claims were made by members of the public. [4]

Funeral

William Milliken, governor of Michigan, attended the event. William Milliken 1969.png
William Milliken, governor of Michigan, attended the event.

As a means of creating publicity and a demonstration of his accountability, Fabbrini organized a public disposal of the recalled pizzas on March 5, 1973. [7] [6] Fabbrini themed the occasion as a funeral, and it was later referred to as the "Great Michigan Pizza Funeral", the "Great Pizza Funeral of Michigan" and the "Great Pizza Burial". [7] [5] [1]

Several hundred people attended the event at a time when Ossineke was a village of only 1,800 inhabitants. [1] The press reported that 40,000 or 44,000 pizzas were buried, though, in later court documents, Fabbrini claimed to have only disposed of 29,188. [7] [1] [8] The pizzas were tipped into an 18-foot (5.5 m) deep hole from four dump trucks. [1] They were still enclosed in their cellophane wrappers. [7]

After the burial, Fabbrini laid a wreath of red gladioli and white carnations on the grave, which a report in Atlas Obscura claims represented the colors of pizza sauce and cheese. [9] [6] The event was attended by Michigan governor William Milliken who gave a homily on the subject of courage in the face of tragedy. [7] Milliken was presented with a frozen pizza by Fabbrini, who cooked pizzas on-site to feed the attendees. [1] When one attendee questioned the safety of eating the food offered, Fabbrini retorted, "Gov. Milliken ate a piece, and he's still alive". [9]

Aftermath

Although he stated he did not blame his suppliers and would continue to use them, Fabbrini launched a $1 million lawsuit against United Canning and Tolono Pizza Products. [1] [9] The case was finally settled in the Michigan Court of Appeals in 1979, with Fabbrini receiving $211,000. [7] Around a third of the award was needed to pay Fabbrini's legal costs. [5] In the early 1980s, Papa Fabbrini Pizzas went out of business, with Fabbrini selling its assets for $5,000. [5] [7]

The initial FDA test results were overturned upon further investigation by the FDA and the Michigan state veterinarian. The deaths of the laboratory mice used in the tests were confirmed to be from an unrelated peritonitis case rather than botulism. [7]

The pizza funeral has been covered by modern publications including the website of The Paris Review , online magazine Atlas Obscura , the American magazine Saveur and the Canadian Pizza Magazine. [10] [11] [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizza</span> Italian dish with a flat dough-based base and toppings

Pizza is a traditional Italian dish typically consisting of a flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high temperature, traditionally in a wood-fired oven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botulism</span> Human and animal disease

Botulism is a rare and potentially fatal illness caused by a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The disease begins with weakness, blurred vision, feeling tired, and trouble speaking. This may then be followed by weakness of the arms, chest muscles, and legs. Vomiting, swelling of the abdomen, and diarrhea may also occur. The disease does not usually affect consciousness or cause a fever.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botulinum toxin</span> Neurotoxic protein produced by Clostridium botulinum

Botulinum toxin, or botulinum neurotoxin, is a highly potent neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and related species. It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon endings at the neuromuscular junction, thus causing flaccid paralysis. The toxin causes the disease botulism. The toxin is also used commercially for medical and cosmetic purposes. Botulinum toxin is an acetylcholine release inhibitor and a neuromuscular blocking agent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ossineke, Michigan</span> Census-designated place & unincorporated community in Michigan, United States

Ossineke is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Alpena County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 932 at the 2020 census. The community is located within Sanborn Township, several miles south of Alpena on U.S. Highway 23.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burial</span> Ritual act of placing a dead person into the ground

Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objects in it, and covering it over. A funeral is a ceremony that accompanies the final disposition. Evidence suggests that some archaic and early modern humans buried their dead. Burial is often seen as indicating respect for the dead. It has been used to prevent the odor of decay, to give family members closure and prevent them from witnessing the decomposition of their loved ones, and in many cultures it has been seen as a necessary step for the deceased to enter the afterlife or to give back to the cycle of life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canning</span> Method of preserving food

Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although under specific circumstances, it can be much longer. A freeze-dried canned product, such as canned dried lentils, could last as long as 30 years in an edible state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Milliken</span> American politician and businessman (1922–2019)

William Grawn Milliken was an American businessman and politician who served as the 44th governor of Michigan. A member of the Republican Party, he is the longest-serving governor in Michigan history, serving one partial term and three full four-year terms from 1969 to 1983. During this period he dealt with dramatic changes to the state economy, due to industrial restructuring and challenges to the auto industry, resulting in loss of jobs and population from Detroit, the state's largest city. He also oversaw the PBB crisis and adopted a policy of environmental protection and conservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Totino's</span> American brand of frozen pizza

Totino's and Jeno's are brands of frozen pizza products owned by General Mills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pizza Pops</span> Canadian commercial frozen meat/cheese snack

Pizza Pops are a Canadian calzone-type snack produced by Pillsbury. Pizza Pops are sold both pre-cooked and frozen. Typically, they can be reheated in a microwave oven. However, they may also be cooked in a conventional oven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">March 1973</span> Month of 1973

The following events occurred in March 1973:

The history of pizza begins in antiquity, as various ancient cultures produced flatbreads with several toppings.

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is an American multinational specialty biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland. It develops vaccines and antibody therapeutics for infectious diseases and opioid overdoses, and it provides medical devices for biodefense purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Marzano tomato</span> Tomato cultivar

A San Marzano tomato is a variety of plum tomato originating in the Campania region in Italy. It is known for its flavour and quality as a canning tomato. San Marzano production is protected by a European protected designation of origin certification.

Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods is an American pet food manufacturer with its headquarters located in Burbank, Los Angeles, California. Established in 1989 by actor Dick Van Patten, the company markets itself as "Food For a Lifetime" and promotes itself as having "the finest food you can buy for your pet." A subsidiary of Big Heart Pet Brands, it was previously owned by the J.M. Smucker Company until February 2021, when it was sold to Nexus Capital Management LP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castleberry's Food Company</span> American canned food brand

Castleberry's Food Company is an Augusta, Georgia-based canned food company founded in the 1920s by Clement Stewart Castleberry with the help of his father Clement Lamar Castleberry and closed in March 2008 by the United States Food and Drug Administration until Hanover Foods bought the rights to Castleberry's food and name.

In 2013, a wide-scale recall of products sold by dairy producer Fonterra was announced after suspected botulism-causing bacteria were found during safety tests. The contaminated whey products had been sold to third parties who use it to produce infant formula and sports drinks. Approximately 1,000 tonnes of consumer product was affected by the recall across seven countries, but no cases of sickened consumers were reported. China, which imports most of its powdered milk from New Zealand, instituted a temporary ban on the import of the ingredient from New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clam pie</span> Type of meat pie

A clam pie is a savory meat pie prepared using clams, especially quahogs as a primary ingredient, and it is a part of the cuisine of New England. It likely predated the English settlements in Southern New England, having been a feature of indigenous people's diet. It can also be prepared as a type of pizza pie. White clam pie is a pizza variety that originated in New Haven, Connecticut.

Events from the year 1973 in Michigan.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Milliken Attends Pizza Burial". The South Bend Tribune . March 6, 1973. Archived from the original on April 4, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  2. John. "A Bizarre Funeral for 30,000 Contaminated Frozen Pizzas". Youtube. Plainly Difficult. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  3. "Tainted mushrooms end immigrant's Ossineke pizza factory". thealpenanews.com. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Mushroom Scare Hits Pizza Shop". The Daily Courier. Vol. 72, no. 94. March 2, 1973. p. 9. Archived from the original on April 4, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Dao, Dan Q. (March 28, 2017). "Why This Immigrant Entrepreneur Threw a Massive Pizza Funeral". Saveur . ISSN   1075-7864. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 Giaimo, Cara (March 14, 2017). "The Day That Michigan Held a Funeral For 30,000 Pizzas". Atlas Obscura . Archived from the original on November 27, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Forty-Five Years Ago This Small Michigan Town Had a Pizza Funeral". No. February 28, 2018. Michigan Radio. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020.
  8. "Pizza Served at Pizza Burial". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. Vol. 90, no. 354. United Press International. March 6, 1973. p. 5. Archived from the original on April 4, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 3 "'Funeral' Marks Mass Burial of 44,000 Pizzas". Battle Creek Enquirer . Associated Press. March 6, 1973. p. 11. Archived from the original on April 4, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  10. Piepenbring, Dan (March 15, 2017). "The Pizza Is Poisoned, and Other News". The Paris Review. ISSN   0031-2037. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020.
  11. "Pizza History: The Massive Michigan Pizza Funeral That Never Had to Happen". Canadian Pizza Magazine. March 16, 2017. Archived from the original on April 4, 2021.

Further reading