pissabgdtfsrdmkasn; 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] The manufacturer, Mario Fabbrini, 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. 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

Mario Fabbrini came from Fiume, 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.[2] Fabbrini's wife, Olga, helped him adapt the traditional recipes of
his hometown to suit American tastes.[2][3] Within nine years, Fabbrini had grown
his business, Papa Fabbrini Pizzas, into one of the most modern pizza factories in
the country.[1][2] His plant, which employed 22 people, had capacity to produce
45,000 pizzas a week.[2]
Alleged botulism contamination

In January 1973, employees at the United Canning Company of East Palestine, Ohio,
noticed a number of cans of mushrooms were swelling, an indication of
contamination.[2][4][5] 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) who took samples for testing.[5]

The FDA stated that their tests confirmed the presence of botulism, a potentially
fatal disease in humans.[5][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.[5] Fabbrini was himself contacted by the FDA on February 19,
1973, and told to recall his products.[2] Fabbrini estimated that 30,000 pizzas
were involved, with a cost to him of $30,000 and a retail value of around $60,000.
[2][1] This was the largest recall of pizzas in American history at that time.[1]
The FDA found no evidence of illness caused by Fabbrini's pizzas, although 17
claims were made by members of the public.[2]
Funeral
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.[5][4]
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".[5][3][1] Several hundred people attended the event, at a time
when Ossineke was a village of only 1,800 inhabitants.[1] The contemporary 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.[5][1][6] The pizzas were tipped
into an 18-foot (5.5 m) deep hole from four dump trucks.[1] The pizzas were still
enclosed in their cellophane wrappers.[5]

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 colours of pizza
sauce and cheese.[7][4] The event was attended by Michigan governor William
Milliken who gave a homily on the subject of courage in the face of tragedy.[5]
Milliken was afterwards presented with a frozen pizza by Fabbrini, who also 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".[7]
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][7] The case was finally settled in the Michigan Court of Appeals in
1979, with Fabbrini receiving $211,000.[5] Around a third of the award was needed
to pay Fabbrini's legal costs.[3] In the early 1980s, Papa Fabbrini Pizzas went out
of business, with Fabbrini selling its assets for $5,000.[3][5]

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.
[5]

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.[8][9][3]