Federal officials are warning consumers that certain meals from HelloFresh contain spinach that may have been contaminated with listeria.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued the public health alert on Monday for FSIS-inspected, ready-to-eat meals produced by FreshRealm.
The impacted products include 10.1-ounce containers of “HELLO FRESH READY MADE MEALS CHEESY PULLED PORK PEPPER PASTA” with establishment number “Est. 47718” and lot code 49107 or establishment number “Est. 2937” and lot code 48840 and 10-ounce containers of “HELLO FRESH READY MADE MEALS UNSTUFFED PEPPERS WITH GROUND TURKEY” with establishment number “P-47718” and lot codes 50069, 50073 or 50698.
Both of the impacted products were shipped directly to customers by HelloFresh, according to the FSIS.
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Consumers who purchased potentially contaminated products are advised not to consume them and to either throw them out or return them.
HelloFresh responded to the alert in a statement provided to FOX Business, saying, “At HelloFresh, the safety of our customers and the quality of our meals is our highest priority. Due to the potential presence of Listeria monocytogenes in spinach used by our third-party supplier of ready-to-eat meals, FreshRealm, a recall has been issued on two HelloFresh Ready-Made Meals.”
“We have directly contacted customers who may have received the Cheesy Pulled Pork Pepper Pasta or Unstuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey between Sept. 6 and Oct. 9, 2025, and advised them to immediately discard any affected product. We take this matter very seriously,” the company added.
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“FreshRealm’s food safety program detected Listeria in individually quick-frozen (IQF) spinach that it uses in prepared meals, supplied by Sno Pac Foods of Minnesota. FreshRealm proactively undertook whole genome sequencing of spinach ingredient samples and the Listeria strain does not match the outbreak first reported in June,” a spokesperson for FreshRealm, a third-party supplier to HelloFresh, told Fox Business.
“Neither FreshRealm nor its customers are aware of any foodborne illness associated with this spinach ingredient,” the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson noted that the findings were “promptly managed” under its food safety and recall measures, and that the proper agencies were notified of the issue.
“Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our customers and our food safety program is designed to safeguard the quality of the meals we produce,” the FreshRealm spokesperson said.
The FSIS said there were no reported adverse reactions related to consumption of the possibly contaminated meal kits, though it advised anyone concerned about an illness to contact a health care professional.
The agency warned that consumption of food contaminated with listeria could cause listeriosis, which affects older adults, people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and their newborns. It also noted that people outside those groups are less commonly affected.
Individuals in those risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months of consuming the potentially contaminated product are advised by the FSIS to seek medical care.
Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions, which are sometimes preempted by gastrointestinal symptoms, according to the FSIS. The agency added that pregnant women could face miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn if infected. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics.
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