About the Recalled Products
The FSIS recall covers the following FreshRealm ready-to-eat meals bearing establishment numbers EST. P-50784, EST. P-47770, or EST. P-47718 on the package side:
- Home Chef Heat & Eat Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, 12.5 oz. tray — best by 06/19/25 or earlier
- Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine, 32.8 oz. tray — best by 06/27/25 or earlier
- Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine (with broccoli), 12.3 oz. tray — best by 06/26/25 or earlier
All products were produced at FreshRealm facilities in San Clemente, California; Montezuma, Georgia; and Indianapolis, Indiana, before June 17, 2025.
Latest Updates
FSIS announced the recall on June 17, 2025, after epidemiologists traced the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes — identified in ill people between August 2024 and May 2025 — to FreshRealm’s chicken fettuccine alfredo products [1]. As of the recall date, 17 people had been confirmed ill in 13 states, with three deaths and one pregnancy-associated fetal loss reported [2]. FSIS also noted that it collected a matching environmental sample from a FreshRealm facility in March 2025, though the specific contamination source within the production process had not been identified at the time of the recall [3].
A Deadly Outbreak Spanning 13 States
The outbreak strain was isolated from patients across more than a dozen states over a ten-month window — August 2024 through May 2025 — before investigators established the link to FreshRealm’s production facilities. Three fatalities and one fetal loss connected to a ready-to-eat meal sold through two of the country’s largest grocery retailers represents one of the more severe foodborne illness outcomes tied to a single manufacturer in recent years.
The extended timeline between the first confirmed cases and the recall announcement means that consumers may have been exposed to the contaminated products for many months without any warning that a potentially lethal pathogen was present in a meal they were purchasing off a refrigerated grocery shelf.
Sold at Kroger and Walmart — Nationwide Distribution
The Home Chef and Marketside brands are house brands of Kroger and Walmart, respectively — two retailers with more U.S. locations than any other grocery chain in the country. Distribution of recalled products through both chains simultaneously means the potential exposure population spans virtually every major market in the United States, from rural communities served by a single Walmart Supercenter to dense urban areas with multiple Kroger banner stores.
Consumers who purchased these meals — whether for themselves, for children, or for elderly relatives — had no basis to suspect that a deadly Listeria outbreak had been linked to products sitting on those stores’ refrigerated shelves.
Why Listeria in Ready-to-Eat Chicken Meals Is a Serious Hazard
The Home Chef Heat & Eat and Marketside products are designed to be consumed after brief reheating — not cooked from raw — and packaging often does not convey that reaching a validated internal temperature is necessary to eliminate Listeria contamination introduced after initial cooking. Consumers who reheat these products in a microwave may not achieve the 165°F internal temperature FSIS identifies as the threshold to kill the pathogen.
Listeria monocytogenes causes listeriosis, which can produce fever, muscle aches, stiff neck, confusion, and convulsions; symptoms may appear anywhere from three days to ten weeks after exposure. Pregnant women, newborns, adults 65 and older, and immunocompromised individuals face the highest risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death.
Reported Injuries
As of the June 17, 2025 recall announcement, FSIS had confirmed 17 illnesses across 13 states linked to the outbreak strain, including three deaths and one fetal loss. The outbreak period extended from August 2024 through May 2025, meaning some consumers who became ill months before the recall may never have connected their illness to this product.
Can I File a Lawsuit?
If you or a family member developed a Listeria infection after consuming Home Chef Heat & Eat Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo or Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine with a best-by date of June 27, 2025 or earlier, you may have product liability claims against FreshRealm, Kroger, and Walmart. Contact an attorney promptly, as state filing deadlines apply.
What to Do Now
Do not eat any Home Chef Heat & Eat Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo or Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo product bearing the establishment numbers and best-by dates listed above — discard the product immediately or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Contact FreshRealm customer service at 1-888-244-1562 or call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854 (Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. ET).
References
1. https://perishablenews.com/?p=383668
2. https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/32057-chicken-alfredo-pasta-products-recalled-due-to-association-with-deadly-listeria-outbreak
3. https://www.wokv.com/news/trending/recall-alert-freshrealm-chicken-fettuccine-alfredo-sold-walmart-kroger-recalled/DGROADC4JBEDFB52P756LOP7OY