HelloFresh issues urgent warning to Aussie customers over fears they’re contaminated with nasty disease
A popular meal kit supplier has warned hundreds of customers that their salads could be contaminated with listeria bacteria.
On Monday, HelloFresh sent alert text messages to customers in Western Australia who received the pre-measured ingredients.
Listeria infection – listeriosis – rarely affects healthy people, but can be fatal to unborn or newborn babies and people with weakened immune systems.
The text stated that a supplier had warned the company earlier on Monday about a “food safety issue with the mixed salad or young spinach.”
It added that the green ‘may be harmful if consumed’ and customers were urged to ‘dispose of the product’.
“If you have already eaten this recipe and you are concerned, please contact us or consult a doctor,” the text reads.
Customers received $5 credit per bag of spinach or salad for future orders.
A HelloFresh spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that “the safety and quality of our ingredients is our highest priority”.
International meal kit supplier HelloFresh has issued an urgent warning to customers in Western Australia after packages of spinach and mixed leafy greens were potentially contaminated with Listeria bacteria.
The spokesperson confirmed the contaminated batch only affected Western Australia and that other ingredients were safe to consume.
“We have immediately informed all of our customers in Western Australia who received recipes containing, among other things, mixed salad or baby spinach between 5 and 8 September 2024 and asked them to immediately discard the ingredient,” the spokesperson said.
Customer Nick Mitchell told Perth Now he was terribly worried after receiving the alarming message this week.
The Perth father immediately called HelloFresh for answers and was told it could be listeria.
The alarm was raised after a supplier notified HelloFresh of a ‘food safety issue in the mixed salad or baby spinach’ (stock image)
The issue spread to Reddit, where users reported receiving the warning from HelloFresh as well.
“I got the same email but after I had already eaten it,” one person wrote, adding that “his gut is not happy.”
The user later reported experiencing “rotten egg burps” and “throwing up a few times,” symptoms of food poisoning that are not specific to listeriosis.
The Listeria bacteria are found in soil, water and animal feces and can survive refrigeration and freezing.
Although listeriosis is an extremely rare foodborne infection, advanced cases have a high mortality rate of 20 to 30 percent.
Listeria bacteria (pictured) can cause listeriosis, a rare infection with a 30 percent mortality rate if it spreads to the nervous system
It may take more than 30 days for the first signs of infection to appear.
Common symptoms include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
However, the bacteria can spread to the nervous system, where it becomes much more dangerous and can cause headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.
According to NSW Health, about a third of patients who reach this stage die.
Pregnant women and their fetuses, newborns, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems, such as HIV patients or cancer patients, are at particular risk.
While customers have been notified of a recall, no warning has yet been issued by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand or on HelloFresh’s social media accounts.
Healthcare professionals should report a suspected diagnosis of listeriosis ‘urgently’ to WA Health. No cases have been reported yet.