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.