Listeria outbreak widens: FreshRealm-linked products — including HelloFresh ready meals and Walmart pasta

📌 Key Facts

USDA/FSIS issued a public health alert after FreshRealm notified FSIS that spinach used in certain HelloFresh ready meals tested positive for Listeria.
The FSIS alert covers FreshRealm-linked products and identifies specific affected HelloFresh items: Cheesy Pulled Pork Pepper Pasta (10.1 oz) — Est. 47718 lot 49107 or Est. 2937 lot 48840; and Unstuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey (10 oz) — Est. P-47718 lot codes 50069, 50073, 50698.
FreshRealm provided a customer hotline (1-888-244-1562) and email (customerservice@freshrealm.com) for questions about the affected products.
USDA reports there are no confirmed illnesses tied specifically to these HelloFresh items yet.
The situation is linked to a broader Listeria outbreak: genetic testing previously found the outbreak strain in pasta supplied by Nate's Fine Foods, and the outbreak has been associated with at least four deaths and about 20 illnesses.

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Social media users on X are emphasizing how recent funding cuts to agencies like the FDA, USDA, and CDC may have weakened food safety oversight, potentially contributing to the severity of outbreaks like this one.
Discussions on X often link the outbreak to broader political decisions, such as staff reductions at health agencies under previous administrations, which users argue have hampered effective responses to foodborne illnesses.
Many X posts express growing consumer distrust in ready-to-eat and meal kit products, with users sharing personal decisions to switch to home cooking to avoid contamination risks from processed foods.
Users on X are pointing out a pattern of frequent food recalls involving major retailers and brands, raising questions about systemic issues in food supply chains and the need for stricter industry regulations.
Perspectives on X include concerns about the vulnerability of vulnerable populations, like pregnant individuals, to listeria, highlighted by mentions of pregnancy losses in related outbreaks, which add emotional urgency to calls for better prevention.

Based on 2 sources

https://www.facebook.com/CBSMoneyWatch/ October 07, 2025

New information:

USDA/FSIS issued a public health alert after FreshRealm notified FSIS that spinach used in certain HelloFresh ready meals tested positive for Listeria.
Specific affected HelloFresh products and lot/establishment identifiers: Cheesy Pulled Pork Pepper Pasta (10.1 oz) — Est. 47718 lot 49107 or Est. 2937 lot 48840; Unstuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey (10 oz) — Est. P-47718 lot codes 50069, 50073, 50698.
FreshRealm provided a customer hotline (1-888-244-1562) and email (customerservice@freshrealm.com) for questions; USDA reports no confirmed illnesses tied specifically to these HelloFresh items yet.
Connection reaffirmed to prior outbreak: genetic testing previously found the outbreak strain in pasta supplied by Nate's Fine Foods; the broader outbreak has been linked to at least four deaths and about 20 illnesses.

NPR by Rachel Treisman September 30, 2025