HelloFresh pizza meal kits recalled in California and nationwide

East County News Service

March 31, 2026 (San Diego County) -- A quiet supplier notification in January about tainted pizzas has turned into a federal safety alert, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration now officially upgrading the recall of a popular meal-kit pizza because of the potential presence of metal fragments.

The recall, which specifically targets HelloFresh’s Basil Pesto & Mozzarella Pizza, was elevated to a Class II classification on March 23.

According to the FDA, The investigation traces back to Bakkavor USA, a North Carolina-based food manufacturer. Bakkavor is now part of Greencore. In January, a voluntary recall began after employees discovering that a batch of roasted tomatoes might have been contaminated with metal shards.

According to industry experts, such contamination typically occurs during the industrial "shredding" or "roasting" phases, where a loose bolt or a fractured blade in high-speed machinery can go unnoticed until a quality control check spots the debris.

In a statement, HelloFresh emphasized that the incident was "supplier-initiated" and affected only a small subset of their total subscriber base.

The company added that they moved quickly to notify impacted users and provided instructions for disposal and refunds. California is one of 10 states — including Texas, Arizona and Florida — where tainted pizzas were shipped.

On Reddit, one user shared a notice they received from the company, which urged customers to discard any Basil Pesto & Mozzarella Pizza received between Oct. 8, 2025 and Jan. 23, 2026.

The FDA has identified the following specific lots as high-risk:

Lot 20367483 (Use By: 6/29/26 and 6/30/26)

Lot 20377537 (Use By: 9/4/26)

Lot 20377821 (Use By: 9/5/26)

The upgrade to Class II indicates a remote probability of serious health consequences, but a potential for temporary or medically reversible issues.

This follows a recent trend of physical contaminant recalls in the frozen food aisle.

Last year, more than 1 1/2 million bags of shredded cheese were pulled from shelves for similar metal concerns. Earlier this year, Trader Joe's and Meijer focaccia products (also produced by Bakkavor) were recalled for metal contamination in the same roasted tomato ingredient.

In late 2025, General Mills issued a voluntary recall for Pillsbury Pizza Pops due to E. coli concerns.

For more information on FDA recalls, visit its recall site here.