Meals Sold at Walmart & Kroger Recalled After 3 Deaths

Consumers who shop at Walmart (WMT) and Kroger (KR) will want to check their fridges after one meal caused three deaths, one fetal loss, and 17 people to fall ill. They should be on the lookout for FreshRealm’s chicken fettuccine alfredo meals sold under the Marketside and Home Chef brands.

Included in the recall are:

• 32.8-oz. tray packages containing “MARKETSIDE GRILLED CHICKEN ALFREDO WITH FETTUCCINE Tender Pasta with Creamy Alfredo Sauce, White Meat Chicken and Shaved Parmesan Cheese” with best-by date 06/27/25 or prior.
• 12.3 oz. tray packages containing “MARKETSIDE GRILLED CHICKEN ALFREDO WITH FETTUCCINE Tender Pasta with Creamy Alfredo Sauce, White Meat Chicken, Broccoli and Shaved Parmesan Cheese” with best-by date 06/26/25 or prior.
• 12.5 oz. tray packages containing “HOME CHEF Heat & Eat Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with pasta, grilled white meat chicken, and Parmesan cheese” with best-by date 06/19/25 or prior.

What’s Wrong With the Meals?

These meals may be contaminated with an outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes. The outbreak has spread across 13 states. It is most likely to affect older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns.

Symptoms of Listeria monocytogenes include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, convulsions, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. In pregnant women, it can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.

What Does This Mean for Walmart and Kroger?

Neither company is likely to be largely affected by the FreshRealm recall. Analysts maintain bullish positions on both of them, with a consensus Strong Buy rating for Walmart and Moderate Buy rating for Kroger. WMT stock offers the better upside potential at 15.37%, compared to 10.73% for KR shares.

See more WMT and KR stock comparisons