Two products from meal kit service HelloFresh are included in a public health alert issued Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) due to possible listeria contamination it said that more products are likely to be added.
According to USDA, FreshRealm produced the “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 “HELLO FRESH READY MADE MEALS UNSTUFFED PEPPERS WITH GROUND TURKEY” (with establishment number “P-47718” and lot codes 50069, 50073, or 50698) products included in the alert.
Both were shipped directly to consumers by HelloFresh in 10.1-ounce containers. HelloFresh serves around 8 million active customers in 15 countries, per this report from Quartr.
Meals included in the alert contain “a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulated ingredient, specifically spinach, that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes (Lm),” the UDSA explained.
It said that FreshRealm notified FSIS that the spinach used in these products tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. This bacterium can cause listeriosis, a condition with symptoms that include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal issues.
While listeriosis is primarily a disease of the gastrointestinal tract, and invasive infection can extend further. Listeriosis is particularly dangerous for pregnant women, older adults and people with weakened immune systems. In pregnant women it can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery and life-threatening infections for newborns.
Listeriosis can be treated with antibiotics. People who believe they might have come in contact with the pathogen and feel ill should seek medical help.
So far, there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the HelloFresh products included in the alert, the USDA said. However, the FSIS is concerned that some consumers might still have the products stored in their freezers and recommended that the meals be thrown away or returned to HelloFresh.
This listeria alert was not linked to another ongoing investigation by the USDA into a listeria outbreak that has resulted in 20 hospitalizations and four deaths. Audacy reported last week that an expansion of that investigation included a recall of linguine pasta collected and tested by FreshRealm that was positive for Listeria monocytogenes.
“FSIS expects additional affected products to be identified and will update this public health alert as more information becomes available,” said the USDA of the Monday HelloFresh alert. “Consumers should check back frequently.
Anyone with questions regarding the public health alert can contact FreshRealm’s customer service hotline at 1-888-244-1562 or customerservice@freshrealm.com. They can also call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov.
“For consumers that need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/,” the USDA added.