The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given its highest risk rating to a recall of dozens of ready-to-eat deli salads and cream cheese products made by Made Fresh Salads Inc. of Bay Shore, New York. The company first recalled the products in September 2026 because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The FDA has now classified 61 products in the recall as Class I. That category is reserved for cases where there is a reasonable chance that eating the product could cause serious health problems or death.
What’s Being Recalled?
The recall covers all Made Fresh Salads Ready-to-Eat Deli Style Salads and cream cheese products, including items sold under the Northside label. Recalled salads include potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, chickpea salad, black bean salad, and bow tie pesto, among many others. Recalled spreads include whipped cream cheese, scallion cream cheese, apple cinnamon cream cheese, and tofu vegetable spread. The products were packed in 5-pound and 30-pound white plastic tubs and half-size aluminum pans, with expiration dates from September 3 through September 18, 2026. They were delivered directly to retail stores and distributors in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and elsewhere in New York City.
Why Was This Product Recalled?
Environmental sampling by the FDA and the company found Listeria monocytogenes in some areas of the production facility. The company has stopped making and shipping the products while the investigation continues. Listeria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. Healthy people may have fever, headache, stiffness, nausea, stomach pain, and diarrhea. Listeria infection can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women. No illnesses have been reported so far.
What Should You Do?
These salads and spreads were sold in bulk tubs, so many delis and bagel shops may have scooped them into their own containers without the original label. If you bought a prepared salad or cream cheese from a deli counter in New York City in early September and are unsure where it came from, ask the store. Do not eat any recalled product, and throw it away. Questions can be directed to Made Fresh Salads at 718-765-0082.
