Ready-to-eat meals sold at Kroger, Walmart recalled after 3 deaths, 17 sickened
Ready-to-eat meals sold at Kroger, Walmart recalled after 3 deaths, 17 sickened What we know about the recall on certain FreshRealm chicken products sold at major grocery retailers tied to a deadly listeria outbreak.
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Why food recalls are increasing
E.Coli, metal and even a dead bat have been found in recalled food. In fact, food recalls are increasing. Yet, that might actually be a good sign. Here's why.
USA TODAY
Some ready-to-eat meals sold at Walmart and Kroger are being recalled after multiple deaths and more than a dozen illnesses reported across 13 states due to listeria poisoning, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.
FreshRealm in San Clemente, Calif., Montezuma, Ga., and Indianapolis, Ind., is recalling certain chicken fettuccine alfredo products that may contain an outbreak strain of listeria monocytogenes contamination which can cause listeriosis, or listeria poisoning.
The ready-to-eat products were shipped to Kroger and Walmart retail locations across the U.S.
Here is what to know about the deadly recall:
Cream recall: Salmonella outbreak tied to pistachio cream imported from Turkey
Which ready-to-eat meals were recalled?
The recalled ready to eat meals include:
Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine : (32.8-oz. tray packages containing "tender pasta with creamy alfredo sauce, white meat chicken and shaved parmesan cheese"): Expiration Date : 6/27/25 or prior
: (32.8-oz. tray packages containing "tender pasta with creamy alfredo sauce, white meat chicken and shaved parmesan cheese"): Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine : (12.3 oz. tray packages containing "tender pasta with creamy alfredo sauce, white meat chicken, broccoli and shaved parmesan cheese"): Expiration Date : 06/26/25 or prior
: (12.3 oz. tray packages containing "tender pasta with creamy alfredo sauce, white meat chicken, broccoli and shaved parmesan cheese"): Home Chef Heat & Eat Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo: ( 12.5 oz. tray packages containing "pasta, grilled white meat chicken, and parmesan cheese"): Expiration date: 6/19/25 or prior
12.5 oz. tray packages containing "pasta, grilled white meat chicken, and parmesan cheese"):
The products bear the USDA mark of inspection on the product label along with the following establishment numbers found on the side of the packaging:
EST. P-50784
EST. P-47770
EST. P-47718
17 people sickened in 13 states, 3 deaths
The FDA reported the agency and public health partners are investigating a listeria outbreak in connection to the prepared meals and that as of June 17, 2025, the outbreak had sickened 17 people in 13 states.
As of that same date, there have been at least three reported deaths associated with the outbreak.
"The outbreak strain of 'LM' was isolated from ill people on dates ranging from August 2024 – May 2025," the federal health agency reported.
USA TODAY has reached out to the FDA and FreshRealm for more information.
Listeria poisoning symptoms
Listeria poisoning is a foodborne bacterial infection most commonly caused by the bacterium listeria monocytogenes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is considered a serious condition and can be dangerous or life-threatening, especially to older adults, people with weak immune systems, and pregnant women.
Symptoms include, per the CDC:
Fever
Muscle aches
Headache
Stiff neck
Confusion
Loss of balance
Convulsions
Diarrhea
Other gastrointestinal symptoms
Miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery and/or life-threatening infection of newborn infants
Death
People in higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care.
Toss affected ready-to-eat meals out, USDA says
For consumers who bought the item and froze it, the USDA said to throw it away.
Concerned about an illness regarding the product? The USDA has advised contacting a health care provider.
Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact FreshRealm's customer service at 888-244-1562. Those with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854)
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ready-to-eat meals sold at Walmart and Kroger recalled after multiple deaths
(WJW) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service has announced a nationwide recall on some ready-to-eat meals sold at Walmart and Kroger stores as public health officials investigate a deadly Listeria outbreak. According to the FSIS, as of June 17, 2025, the outbreak has resulted in three reported deaths and one fetal loss, as well as 17 ill people in 13 states. How Dunkin' is celebrating National Iced Coffee Day As a result, the FSIS said, FreshRealm establishments in San Clemente, Calif., Montezuma, Ga., and Indianapolis, Ind., are recalling chicken fettuccine alfredo products that may be 'adulterated' with the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm.) 'Out of an abundance of caution, the company is voluntarily recalling all products produced prior to June 17, 2025, that are available in commerce under the following brand names,' states the recall notice. Here's what to look for: 32.8-oz. tray packages containing 'MARKETSIDE GRILLED CHICKEN ALFREDO WITH FETTUCCINE Tender Pasta with Creamy Alfredo Sauce, White Meat Chicken and Shaved Parmesan Cheese' with best-by date 06/27/25 or prior. 12.3 oz. tray packages containing 'MARKETSIDE GRILLED CHICKEN ALFREDO WITH FETTUCCINE Tender Pasta with Creamy Alfredo Sauce, White Meat Chicken, Broccoli and Shaved Parmesan Cheese' with best-by date 06/26/25 or prior. 12.5 oz. tray packages containing 'HOME CHEF Heat & Eat Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with pasta, grilled white meat chicken, and Parmesan cheese' with best-by date 06/19/25 or prior. The products bear the USDA mark of inspection on the product label as well as establishment numbers 'EST. P-50784,' 'EST. P-47770,' or 'EST. P-47718' printed on the side of the packaging. Vintage toy nets $156,000 at auction: Do you have one? Here's a look at the product labels, provided by FSIS: According to FSIS, the exact source of contamination has not yet been identified. The investigation is ongoing. Consumers who have purchased the recalled products are urged not to consume them. The products should be thrown away or returned. Health officials warn that Lm can cause listeriosis, which is described as a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. 'FSIS is sharing what is currently known regarding products associated with the outbreak as the agency continues to work with public health partners to identify whether a specific ingredient in the chicken fettucine alfredo may be the source of this strain of Lm,' reads the recall alert. CLICK HERE to learn more about the risk and symptoms of Lm. CLICK HERE to learn more about the recalled ready-to-eat meals and the outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes under investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Oscar Health soars, Kroger outlook, Couchbase deal: Trending Tickers
Here are some of the stocks on the move on Friday, June 20. Shares of Oscar Health (OSCR) are continuing to rise. The stock is up about 50% over the past 5 days. Kroger (KR) is seeing its stock jump after raising its full-year sales forecast and holding its profit outlook steady. Couchbase (BASE) shares are exploding higher on news that it was being acquired by Haveli Investments for $1.5 billion. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination here. Now time for some of today's trending tickers. Yahoo Finance's Josh Shafer, back with me now. We're going to be watching shares of Oscar Health, Kroger, and Couchbase all rising today's tray. I'm going to start with Oscar Health, it's up 50% over the last week and seeing its third day of consecutive gains driven by the bullishness of the insurance industry. Telehealth company reporting a 45% price increase since last quarter, due to the company's excellent first quarter earnings, and its growth is astounding, given the health insurance industry has been relatively flat recently. Additionally, a new proposal to create part of part E of Medicare, a voluntary self-funding plan, assisting in the rally for this stock, Josh. Yeah, Josh, the other side of this too, I think, is you're getting maybe just a little bit of a retail trader bid right now, right? So, volume in this stock has absolutely surged over the last couple days. There is a great article from Sherwood Media, Luke Kawa over there, highlighting that this has also been a popular stock on the Wall Street Bets Reddit account. And when you see moves in a stock like this, 50% in five days, and you and I look at our trending tickers page on Yahoo Finance frequently, you don't see Oscar Health a lot, Josh. And then all of a sudden it just comes out of nowhere, right? And I think it speaks to the conversation you and I were having earlier this week about sort of the momentum in the market that you're seeing in some of these names that just start to catch a bid, start to catch a bid, and then they're ripping higher, right? And I mean, not to compare this stock to Circle, but you're seeing it in a name like Circle. You're seeing it in the quantum computing stocks. You're seeing it in nuclear with UEC, which we talked about. So, I think it's a continuation of the theme that winners are winning right now and continuing to win. And there's clearly a retail trading bid in some of these names that just want to get in and try and chase it up a little bit because remember, we've said, the indexes aren't really doing a lot right now, right? If you're looking, if you're looking for some action, you got to go somewhere outside of this, the, yeah, outside of the major indexes. Also, Josh Kushner, Vice Chairman of this company, brother Jared Kushner. I'm just saying that, that, that can't, that can't hurt. You got friends in high places. That's all I'm saying. Yep. Also, Kroger, its stock rising after reporting a solid first quarter despite uncertainty we know in that industry. The grocery store chain sharing good earnings, same-store sales grew little over 2%. However, revenue fell short of estimates. Outlook for the year largely the same, slightly little weak according to analysts expectations. Kroger did raise its same-store sales guidance contributing to a largely mixed outlook for the remainder of the year, Josh. Yeah, Josh, I mean, you look at the stock over the last month, and it had not been necessarily outperforming by any means. I think it was probably in the red coming into today. So perhaps expectations had fallen just enough for a decent report to sort of give you that kind of pop, right? But I mean, always interesting when you see, to me, you always get the economic uncertainty comment now, right? That's like a given. You almost have to have it in your earnings release, I think, if you're going to put out earnings. You don't often get it though with the, economic outlook is uncertain, but we're boosting our sales forecast. I mean, if I'm an own, if I'm an owner of Kroger shares, and I'm hearing that, I'm feeling pretty good, right? There's obviously different headwinds going on with credit policy that could weigh on a business like this, and for them to say, you know what, we're addressing that. We understand that, but we're actually now seeing same-store sales in a range of 2 and 1/2 to 3, or 2 and 1/4 to 3 and 1/4%, instead of 2 to 3%. I'll take it. That's a solid print. So, the stock's up nearly 20% this year. I mean, what to do with it from here? Street's actually, just looking pretty divided. Got 12 buys, 11 holds, two sells. I don't know. Finally, Couchbase's stock. Let's check that one out. Soaring with the announcement that Havelli will acquire a company in a $1.5 billion acquisition. The deal between the software company and the investment firm, Havelli, will close in the second half of 25, Josh. Yeah, Josh, so this is not a couch company, right? They are more on the tech side of things. But I, what was interesting to me is, I was just looking at the long-term chart of the stock here. So, Couchbase went public in 2021 amid that IPO boom that we had in 2021. And then there's been a big question for a lot of these stocks is, well, what happens now several years later, right? These stocks. A lot of companies went public in 2021, a lot of them did not necessarily do great post 2021, right? So, Couchbase touched 50 bucks a share in the fall of 2021, and then pretty much never got close to it again. And so they had it caught a little bit of a bid in 2024, but it's run as a public company just has not been overall that successful for shareholders, at least that were in it at the beginning. So interesting to see the 2021, a 2021 IPO class stock getting bought to me. Yeah. And I did, I did see analysts at Wedbush just saying, good deal for both, strategic move for both entities, that these organizations closely aligned in terms of data and infrastructure build out. Data and infrastructure build out, Josh. Buzzwords, but what else do you need? Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
New York Post
21 hours ago
- New York Post
Food expert warns ‘one of the riskiest items in the grocery store' seems healthy but can make you deathly ill
Your good health habit could actually get you seriously sick — and you wouldn't know until it's too late. While experts unanimously agree that we should all be eating more fresh, whole foods, a food policy professor has a warning: Danger lurks in your grocery store's produce aisle. Not all fruits and veggies are created equal, and a popular choice for easy meals that save you time could come with the price of contamination. 3 Prewashed bagged greens are one of the riskiest items in the grocery store. Scott Habermann – 'Prewashed bagged greens remain one of the riskiest items in the grocery store,' Darin Detwiler, a professor of food policy at Northeastern University and author of 'Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions,' told Huffington Post. 'When you look at past outbreaks, bagged salads have been a leading cause of foodborne illness, with some outbreaks resulting in hospitalizations, kidney failure, and even death.' Those pre-mixed bagged salads can harbor pathogens like listeria, salmonella, and E. coli and pose a higher risk for contamination through the supply chain and are among the worst offenders for food safety. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food poisoning symptoms from bacteria like listeria or E. coli — which cause infections in the gastrointestinal tract — include nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. According to a 2024 report in the Journal of Foodborne Illness, leafy greens are credited with 'up to 9.2% of known pathogen-caused foodborne illnesses' in the U.S, resulting in over 2.3 million cases of illness each year. What makes these speedy veggies particularly dicey is that heat is required to kill pathogens — and salads are typically eaten raw, making it difficult to reduce the risk of foodborne illness once they reach consumers. Contamination of these mean greens can occur at different stages of production. Produce can be contaminated during lettuce collection by pathogens in the water, soil, or air, or by wild or domesticated animals. Leafy greens are sometimes grown near large-scale cattle operations, a proximity that increases the likelihood that E. coli, salmonella, and listeria could be introduced through contaminated irrigation water. 3 Produce can be contaminated during collection by pathogens in the water, soil, or air, or by wild or domesticated animals. Pormezz – Detwiler cites manure lagoons, large pits where livestock waste is stored, as a common source of food contamination. 'Runoff from manure lagoons can seep into irrigation canals and contaminate fields with deadly bacteria like E. coli,' he said. Post-harvest, lettuce can be compromised through human handling, contaminated equipment, or water used to remove soil. Typically, lettuces from various farms are processed in a centralized area, meaning your bag of greens is more of a menagerie of fetid potential than a single source. 'Greens from different farms are mixed, washed, and packaged together, so one contaminated leaf can impact thousands of bags across multiple states,' said Detwiler. 3 Consider ditching bagged greens entirely and opting for whole heads of lettuce or loose bunches Dan Dalton/KOTO – The large vats that facilitate this washing are also an effective way to spread bacteria. To prevent the proliferation of pathogens, greens must be kept cold; if lettuce is not consistently kept at these cooler temperatures throughout the supply chain, bacteria can easily breed and reach store shelves. But refrigeration just slows bacteria growth, it doesn't kill them. Washing greens is also ineffective at removing pathogens. In fact, doing so also double down on the danger, as doing so can introduce contamination from the sink, utensils, equipment, and the compromised hands of the washer themselves. What's a leaf-eater to do? Consume carefully. Consider ditching bagged greens entirely and opting for whole heads of lettuce or loose bunches. He recommends whole heads of lettuce or spinach, which have less surface area for contamination. Just rinse the leaves under cold running water to remove dirt and surface-level bacteria. If you're bag or bust, Detwiler advises buyers to skip greens that appear wilted, slimy, or discolored and avoid those in packages that look wet, as these signs could indicate improper storage. Further, avoid subjecting your greens to drastic temperature changes. Keeping them in a hot environment or even on the counter at room temperature can create an environment for bacteria to grow and spoilage to take hold. Finally, stay up to date on recalls and double-checking expiration dates, only buying greens that you plan to use within 2 days.
