Two HelloFresh meal kits have been recalled by the US Department of Agriculture due to potential contamination by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. HelloFresh is working alongside the USDA to contact customers who purchased the affected products, specifically the Cheesy Pulled Pork Pepper Pasta and Unstuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey ready-made meals.

The contaminated ingredient in the two affected meal kits is spinach, which may contain Listeria monocytogenes. HelloFresh sources its spinach from FreshRealm, a California-based supplier that identified Listeria in its product and notified the Food Safety and Inspection Service. 

«We have directly contacted customers who may have received the Cheesy Pulled Pork Pepper Pasta or Unstuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey between September 6 and October 9, 2025, and advised them to immediately discard any affected product,» a statement by the company reads.

HelloFresh is reimbursing customers.

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The USDA is similarly urging people who may have the affected meal kits in their refrigerators to discard them or return them to the place where they were purchased.

The potentially contaminated spinach is included in other ready-made pasta products stocked by Albertson’s, Trader Joe’s and Walmart. The listeria outbreak is continually expanding, and the USDA warned that the recall will likely grow as more affected products are identified.

No illnesses have thus far been linked to the affected HelloFresh meal kits, but pasta meals produced with FreshRealm spinach have been linked to at least four Listeria-related deaths and 20 illnesses.

The meal kit industry is booming, and more than one in five Americans have ordered pre-portioned recipe ingredients or ready-made meals in the past year. HelloFresh is a meal kit and ready-made meal juggernaut: That means more people than ever before will have to reckon with the fact that pre-packaged ingredients may be sourced from suppliers undergoing a product recall.

I already ate one of the affected meal kits. What should I do?

If you have consumed one of the affected meal kits, be aware of the symptoms of listeriosis, a disease caused by Listeria. According to the USDA bulletin, common symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, balance loss, convulsions and other gastrointestinal issues.

Listeriosis is especially dangerous for pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. In extreme cases, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths and death.

If you develop flu-like symptoms within two months of eating an affected HelloFresh meal kit, you should seek medical care and explain the contaminated food intake to your health care provider. Listeria infections require treatment with prescription antibiotics.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has a fun mix of topics. Music fans and artists, there are a couple categories for you. If you need help solving the puzzle, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for today’s Connections puzzle groupings, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Top-notch.

Green group hint: Rock out.

Blue group hint: Hand me a brush.

Purple group hint: Time to sleep?

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Finest.

Green group: Rock music subgenres.

Blue group: Paint finishes.

Purple group: Kinds of beds.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is finest. The four answers are best, cream, elite and select.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is rock music subgenres. The four answers are alternative, arena, classic and garage.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is paint finishes. The four answers are eggshell, gloss, matte and pearl.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is kinds of beds. The four answers are flower, nail, oyster and river.

Apple Arcade continues to expand its sports games roster with the addition of Football Manager 26 Touch on Nov. 4. This comes after Apple added NBA 2K26 Arcade Edition and Retro Bowl ’26 to Arcade in October and September, respectively. That means American football, basketball and football — or soccer — are represented on Apple’s gaming service.

Apple Arcade is filled with familiar and classic games, alongside exclusive titles, that you can play for $7 per month (£7, AU$10). Many of these games can be found in the App Store, but they may have paywalls and ads that hinder your gaming experience.

An Apple Arcade subscription provides access to games without paywalls and ads, a feature typically denoted by «Plus» in the name. Here are all the games you can play on the service starting in November. You can also check out the games Apple added to Arcade in October, like Retro Bowl ’26.

Football Manager 26 Touch

Release date: Nov. 4
Developer: Sports Interactive

The Football Manager franchise is about giving you the chance to live as a manager of a football club, and according to Apple, the latest installment delivers more authenticity than ever before. This entry features upgraded graphics, official Premier League licenses and women’s football for the first time in the series’ history.

«We think the reimagined user interface will really enhance the experience across Apple devices,» Miles Jacobson, Sports Interactive’s studio director, told Apple. «In addition, the arrival of the Premier League fully licensed and the introduction of women’s football will further deepen exploration for Arcade players.»

MySims and MySims Kingdom

Release date: Nov. 6
Developer: EA

These spinoffs of the iconic The Sims franchise are a great way to experience a cartoony take on the popular series.

In MySims, you move to a small town that has been struggling, and with a little help from the locals, you’ll transform it into a bustling community. You’ll build homes and businesses, uncover decorations and help characters find what they need to make the town special.

And in MySims Kingdom, you’ll set off on an adventure to help King Roland and his subjects revitalize the kingdom. You can build contraptions, discover new lands and customize the kingdom to your liking. 

Toca Boca Jr. Classics

Release date: Nov. 6
Developer: Toca Boca and Sago Mini

This collection is packed with nine games that you and your children will love. You can help your animal friends feel better in the game Pet Doctor, or become a stylist in Hair Salon. Or you can create your own community in Blocks. There are plenty of opportunities for creativity and fun in these games.

You can start playing these games in November, and you can access plenty of others now in Apple Arcade for $7 a month or $50 annually. You can also try Apple Arcade free for one month with your first sign-up, or you can get a three-month free trial when you buy an Apple device. To access Apple Arcade, open the App Store on your iOS or iPadOS device and tap the joystick in the menu bar.