Made Fresh Salads Recalls Deli Salads, Cream Cheese and Other Foods Over Listeria Risk

Made Fresh Salads is recalling dozens of ready-to-eat salads, cream cheese spreads and other prepared foods distributed in New York City after environmental testing detected Listeria monocytogenes in areas of its facility. Minerva Studio/Shutterstock Shoppers in New York City should check their refrigerators after a Long Island food manufacturer recalled a wide range of deli salads, cream cheese, and other ready-to-eat foods because of possible Listeria contamination. Made Fresh Salads Inc. of Bay Shore, New York, announced the recall September 6 after environmental testing found Listeria monocytogenes in areas of its production facility. The affected foods were distributed directly to retail stores and distributors in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and elsewhere in New York City. No illnesses had been reported in connection with the recall as of the FDA-posted announcement. Check Products With Expiration Dates Through September 18 The recall covers affected Made Fresh Salads and Northside products with expiration dates ranging from September 3 through September 18, 2026. On the manufacturer's original packaging, the expiration date appears on the bottom left of the label. The recalled foods include numerous varieties of potato salad, macaroni salad, coleslaw, pasta salad, seafood salad, tuna salad, egg salad, quinoa salad, and other deli-style prepared foods. It also includes multiple varieties of cream cheese and spreads, including scallion, strawberry, vegetable, walnut, whipped, garlic and herb, and lox cream cheese, along with tofu spreads. Other prepared foods listed in the FDA announcement include puddings, potato croquettes and crab cakes. Consumers should consult the FDA's complete recall announcement when checking specific products because the recall covers dozens of individual items. Your Deli Container May Not Say Made Fresh Salads One detail makes this recall more difficult for consumers to identify than a typical packaged-food recall. Made Fresh Salads shipped many of the products to retailers in 30-pound and 5-pound white plastic tubs bearing either Made Fresh Salads or Northside labels, as well as in half-size aluminum pans. Retail locations may then have repackaged those foods into deli-style containers or other store packaging before selling them to customers. That means a shopper's container may not necessarily display the Made Fresh Salads or Northside name, and retail packaging and coding can vary depending on where the food was purchased. Consumers who recently bought deli salads, cream cheese spreads or other affected prepared foods from a New York City retailer and aren't sure who manufactured them may want to contact the store where they made the purchase. Testing Found Listeria Inside the Production Facility The recall was initiated after environmental sampling conducted by both the FDA and Made Fresh Salads found that some areas of the company's facility tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Made Fresh Salads has stopped production and distribution of the affected foods while the company and FDA continue investigating the cause. Listeria is particularly concerning in ready-to-eat foods because consumers may eat the product directly from the container without another cooking step that could kill harmful bacteria. According to the FDA, Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems. Infection during pregnancy can also cause miscarriage or stillbirth. Healthy people may experience shorter-term symptoms including fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. What to Do If You Bought a Recalled Product Consumers should not eat recalled Made Fresh Salads or Northside products. The company is urging customers who purchased affected food to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Because some retailers repackaged the food, shoppers who aren't certain whether a recent deli purchase came from Made Fresh Salads should consider checking with the retailer rather than relying only on the label on the container. Consumers should pay particular attention to purchases that could correspond with the recalled products carrying expiration dates from September 3 through September 18. Anyone with questions about the recall can contact Made Fresh Salads at 718-765-0082, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern. The FDA recall page also includes product photographs that can help retailers and consumers identify the manufacturer's original packaging. Since store-repacked products may look completely different, however, where and when the food was purchased may be just as important as what the consumer-facing container looks like. What to Read Next The Recalled Lettuce Is Gone From Stores — So Is It Safe to Eat Salad Again? 8 Whole Foods Foods Recalled This Month That Shoppers May Still Have at Home 7 Foods You Might Not Realize Can Be Affected by an Ingredient Recall