The government has issued a warning that "these products may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers."
Meal subscription services have climbed in popularity in the past decade or so, with a staggering estimated market size of over $4 billion in 2023, according to Grand View Research. While many of these companies make homemade meals more efficient through pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipe cards, some now offer extra help through ready-made meals, no prep work required. But as recent recalls—connected to foods such as pasta—show, certain health concerns can pop up in meals created for our convenience.
On Tuesday, October 6, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert for two types of HelloFresh ready-to-eat meals due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness. The alert affects specific meal products produced by FreshRealm, which contain spinach that tested positive for Listeria.
The affected products, which the FSIS says were shipped directly to consumers, include:
- 10.1-ounce (oz) “HelloFresh Ready Made Meals Cheesy Pulled Pork Pepper Pasta” with lot codes 49107 (Est. 47718) and 48840 (Est. 2937)
- 10-ounce (oz) “HelloFresh Ready Made Meals Unstuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey” with lot codes 50069, 50073, or 50698 (Est. P-47718)
As of press time, no confirmed cases of illness have been reported in connection with the HelloFresh alert, but the FSIS says individuals “concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider.” The agency also anticipates that other ready-to-eat meals could soon be added to the list, saying: “FSIS expects additional affected products to be identified and will update this public health alert as more information becomes available. Consumers should check back frequently.”
Listeria monocytogenes can cause Listeriosis, a potentially serious infection especially dangerous for pregnant women, newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems, per the FSIS. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, and gastrointestinal issues. In severe cases, it can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, or life-threatening infections, the health alert warns.
Concerned that consumers may have the meals at home in refrigerators or freezers, the FSIS provides the following instructions: “Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”
First founded in Germany in 2011, HelloFresh is currently the no. 1 meal kit delivery service in the U.S., with roughly 8 million subscribers, according to 2025 data from market research firm Statista. The firm reports that HelloFresh now owns 74% of the marketshare, having eclipsed its biggest competitor, Blue Apron, in 2017.
The outlet adds that premade meals, an option offered in addition to recipe and ingredient kits, are part of a greater effort to increase HelloFresh membership to peak numbers achieved during the pandemic. “Recent quarters showed dwindling customer numbers, with investors getting cold feet,” the outlet reports. “As a response, HelloFresh is exploring other avenues alongside their core meal kit business by ramping up its ready meals segment.”
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