USDA Warns That Hello Fresh Subscription Meals May Contain Listeria-tainted Spinach

Federal health officials issued a warning on Monday regarding certain Hello Fresh subscription meals containing spinach that may be contaminated with listeria. The U.S. Agriculture Department also issued a public health alert for these meals, which were produced by FreshRealm, a company based in San Clemente, California, and are linked to an expanding listeria outbreak associated with heat-and-eat pasta meals.

The affected products include 10.1-ounce containers of Hello Fresh Ready Made Meals Cheesy Pulled Pork Pepper Pasta and 10-ounce containers of Hello Fresh Ready Made Meals Unstuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey. These meals were shipped directly to consumers and have specific establishment numbers and lot codes for identification.

The issue was discovered when FreshRealm notified the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service that the quick-frozen spinach used in the products tested positive for listeria. The spinach was provided by Sno Pac Foods of Caledonia, Minnesota, through their supplier, Del Mar Foods of Watsonville, California. However, the strain of listeria detected did not match any known outbreak, and no illnesses have been reported.

In a related incident, tests confirmed that pasta used in linguine dishes sold at Walmart contained the same strain of listeria linked to an outbreak in June, originally tied to chicken fettucine Alfredo. This outbreak has resulted in at least four deaths and 20 illnesses, with the most recent illness reported on September 11.

FreshRealm officials conducted genetic testing and found the outbreak strain of listeria in samples of pasta made and supplied by Nate’s Fine Foods of Roseville, California. Several other companies, including Kroger, Giant Eagle, and Albertson’s, have also recalled pasta salads and other dishes made with products from Nate’s Fine Foods due to potential listeria contamination.

Listeria infections can cause serious illness, especially in older adults, individuals with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women or their newborns. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions.

According to the CDC, approximately 1,600 people get sick each year from listeria infections, resulting in about 260 deaths. Federal officials have been working to revamp protocols to prevent listeria infections following several high-profile outbreaks, including one linked to Boar’s Head deli meats that led to 10 deaths and over 60 illnesses last year.

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