About the Affected Product
The product subject to the alert is the BALANCE by Marley Spoon BBQ Sauce Beef Meatballs with Cheesy Cauliflower, a 10.5-ounce ready-to-eat meal bearing lot code 25255 and produced at establishment Est. 47718. The product was distributed through the Marley Spoon meal delivery service.
Latest Updates
The USDA FSIS issued the public health alert on October 7, 2025, after FreshRealm notified the agency that the riced cauliflower component in the product had tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes [1]. FSIS issued a public health alert rather than a formal recall because the products were no longer available for purchase at the time of the notification [2]. No confirmed illnesses have been reported in connection with the product, and FSIS stated the alert is not related to any ongoing outbreak investigations [2].
FreshRealm’s Role as Shared Supplier
FreshRealm is the production entity behind the BALANCE by Marley Spoon product — operating as a contract manufacturer that produces ready-to-eat meals for multiple branded meal kit and delivery services. The same contaminated riced cauliflower ingredient implicated in this alert was also used in products distributed under other meal kit brand names, making FreshRealm’s supply chain the common thread across the alert.
When a single ingredient supplier or contract manufacturer supplies multiple consumer-facing brands, a contamination event can affect far more consumers than any single brand’s recall would suggest — while each brand’s own customer communications may not fully convey the shared origin of the risk.
The Listeria Risk in Ready-to-Eat Meals
Listeria monocytogenes is especially dangerous in ready-to-eat products because these items are consumed without additional cooking that would otherwise kill the pathogen. Unlike raw ingredients where the consumer applies heat before eating, a contaminated ready-to-eat meal delivers the bacteria directly at the point of consumption.
Listeria can cause listeriosis, a serious infection with symptoms including fever, muscle aches, stiff neck, confusion, and gastrointestinal distress. Pregnant women, newborns, adults over 65, and immunocompromised individuals face the greatest risk of severe illness, with the infection capable of causing miscarriage, stillbirth, or life-threatening systemic infection in vulnerable populations.
A Public Health Alert, Not a Recall
FSIS’s decision to issue a public health alert rather than a formal recall reflects the agency’s determination that the affected products were no longer in commerce at the time the contamination was discovered. However, a public health alert does not change the underlying legal analysis: if consumers received and ate contaminated product before FreshRealm identified the problem, the absence of a formal recall designation is procedural, not a substantive limitation on a product liability claim.
Reported Illnesses
No confirmed illnesses had been reported as of the October 7, 2025 alert. Given Listeria’s incubation period of three days to ten weeks, consumers who ate the affected product near its availability window may not yet have connected a subsequent illness to this source at the time of the alert.
Can I File a Lawsuit?
If you developed listeriosis after consuming BALANCE by Marley Spoon BBQ Sauce Beef Meatballs with Cheesy Cauliflower, you may have a product liability claim against FreshRealm and potentially Marley Spoon. Contact an attorney promptly, as filing deadlines vary by state.
What to Do Now
Do not eat any product bearing lot code 25255 from the BALANCE by Marley Spoon line — discard it immediately. Contact FreshRealm at 888-244-1562 or customerservice@freshrealm.com for further information.
References
1. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/fsis-issues-public-health-alert-ready-eat-meals-containing-riced-cauliflower-may-be
2. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/10/usda-issues-alert-for-blue-apron-marley-spoon-meals-because-of-listeria/
3. https://www.fox9.com/news/blue-apron-marley-spoon-freshrealm-listeria-cauliflower-rice