Federal food safety officials issued a nationwide alert for two ham salad brands after discovering the products contained breadcrumbs potentially contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can prove fatal to vulnerable populations.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced the public health alert on July 27, 2025, affecting Reser’s Fine Foods Ham Salad and Molly’s Kitchen Ham Salad distributed across the country. The newly weds foods ham salad recall stemmed from contaminated breadcrumbs supplied by Newly Weds Foods to the Topeka, Kansas manufacturer.
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The Products Under Alert
Federal inspectors identified two specific items consumers should discard:
Reser’s Fine Foods Ham Salad: 12-ounce printed plastic tubs carrying a September 1, 2025 sell-by date
Molly’s Kitchen Ham Salad: 5-pound clear plastic tubs with an August 31, 2025 sell-by date
Both products bear the USDA mark of inspection and reached consumers through major grocery chains, Amazon, and Instacart. The FSIS warned additional products might be added to the alert as investigators continued reviewing distribution records.
How Officials Discovered the Contamination
Reser’s Fine Foods triggered the federal response after internal quality checks revealed they had used FDA-regulated breadcrumb products already under recall. The breadcrumbs, manufactured by Newly Weds Foods, tested positive for potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.
The discovery came through routine supplier monitoring, not consumer illness reports. As of the alert date, no confirmed cases of listeriosis linked to these ham salad products had been documented.
The Health Threat
Listeria monocytogenes causes listeriosis, an infection that disproportionately affects specific groups. Pregnant women face risks of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or newborn infection. The bacteria also threatens older adults, young children, and anyone with compromised immune systems.
Infected individuals may experience fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. Gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhea can appear first. The infection spreads beyond the digestive tract in severe cases.
Symptoms can develop up to 70 days after exposure. Contaminated food often appears and smells normal, making visual inspection unreliable.
Consumer Response Guidelines
Anyone who purchased these products should take immediate action:
Disposal: Throw away the product or return it to the purchase location. Do not consume any remaining ham salad.
Storage Check: Examine refrigerators and freezers for affected items, which may have been stored after purchase.
Medical Attention: Contact a healthcare provider if symptoms develop after consuming the products, particularly for high-risk individuals.
Retailers received instructions to remove the products from shelves and stop any food service use.
The Broader Breadcrumb Recall
This alert connected to a larger food safety issue involving Newly Weds Foods breadcrumb products. The company voluntarily recalled over 240,000 pounds of various breadcrumb and breader items in late July 2025, citing potential Listeria contamination across multiple production lots.
The same contaminated breadcrumbs affected other ready-to-eat products. Albertsons and Jewel Osco grocery chains pulled tuna salad items during the same period. Multiple FSIS alerts throughout July and August 2025 traced back to this single ingredient supplier.
What Makes This a Public Health Alert
The FSIS issued a public health alert rather than mandating a recall because the contaminated ingredient falls under FDA jurisdiction, not USDA authority. The breadcrumbs themselves were FDA-regulated products, while the finished ham salad required FSIS oversight.
This regulatory split meant Newly Weds Foods handled the breadcrumb recall through FDA protocols, while FSIS alerted consumers about meat products containing those breadcrumbs. The arrangement allows both agencies to address contamination within their respective areas of authority.
Contact Information and Updates
The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline operates at 888-674-6854 for consumer questions. Email inquiries can be sent to [email protected].
Federal officials continue monitoring for additional affected products and update the public health alert as new information surfaces. Consumers should verify current recall status through the FSIS website before purchasing or consuming refrigerated ready-to-eat products.
The newly weds foods ham salad recall highlights the interconnected nature of food supply chains, where a single contaminated ingredient can ripple through multiple finished products and require coordinated federal response across regulatory agencies.
