The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert for ready-to-eat ham salad products potentially contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a harmful bacteria. The alert concerns products made with breadcrumb ingredients recently recalled by Newly Weds Foods and used by Reser’s Fine Foods, Inc.
The affected items include 12-ounce tubs labeled “Reser’s Fine Foods Ham Salad” with a sell-by date of September 1, 2025, and 5-pound tubs labeled “Molly’s Kitchen Ham Salad” with a sell-by date of August 31, 2025. Both products carry the USDA inspection mark and were distributed nationwide. FSIS is advising consumers not to eat these products and to either discard them or return them to the place of purchase. Retailers are instructed to remove the products from shelves and stop serving them.
Reser’s Fine Foods, based in Topeka, Kansas, discovered the contamination after using breadcrumbs recalled by the FDA due to possible Listeria contamination. The FSIS alert aims to prevent further exposure. Currently, no illnesses have been reported in connection with the recalled products, but FSIS warns more items could be identified as investigations continue.
Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that is especially dangerous to older adults, people with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women. Symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, confusion, and convulsions, and pregnant individuals risk miscarriages or stillbirths. FSIS advises anyone who has consumed the recalled products and experiences flu-like symptoms to seek medical attention and inform their healthcare provider about potential exposure.
FSIS believes some of the recalled ham salad products may still be in consumers’ homes. The agency urges people to avoid eating these products and to return or safely discard them. Retailers should immediately remove the items from sale. For questions, consumers can contact the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline or file complaints through FSIS’s online system. FSIS will continue monitoring the situation and provide updates as needed.