A total of 27 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria have been reported from 18 states. California 3, Hawaii 2, Florida 1, Illinois 1, Indiana 1, Louisiana 2, Michigan 2, Minnesota 1, Missouri 1, North Carolina 1, Nevada 1, Ohio 1, Oregon 3, South Carolina 1, Texas 3, Utah 1, Washington 1. One death from each of the following states: Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Oregon, Texas, and Utah. One pregnancy-associated illness resulted in a fetal loss. Sick people’s samples were collected on dates ranging from August 1, 2024, to October 16, 2025. Of 26 people with information available, 25 have been hospitalized and 6 deaths have been reported.
With an incubation period of 3-70 days, the recall coming late, and a high likelihood that the products might still be in customer’s freezers, the number of ill will unfortunately increase.
On March 19, 2025, FSIS identified the outbreak strain in a routine sample of FreshRealm chicken fettuccine alfredo. FreshRealm tested a beef meatball linguine marinara meal. This meal tested positive for the same strain of Listeria making people sick in this outbreak. These products were not distributed for sale to consumers. FreshRealm also tested the ingredients used in the meals. Pasta used in the meal tested positive for Listeria. Whole genome sequencing results show the Listeria in the pasta is the same strain making people sick. Companies that used certain lots of affected pasta are working to recall food and meals that contain these pastas. On September 30, 2025, the supplier of the affected pasta, Nate’s Fine Foods, Inc., expanded their recall of certain lots of pre-cooked pasta including fettucine, linguine, and farfalle (bowtie), after a sample of linguine pasta collected and tested by FreshRealm tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes.
Please check your freezers.
- Sprouts Farmers Market Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad – product use by dates 10/10/25 – 10/29/25 (Sprouts Farmers Market recall)
- Giant Eagle smoked mozzarella pasta salad – expiration dates 9/30/25 through 10/7/25 (Giant Eagle recall)
- Kroger stores recalled deli bowtie and penne pasta salads – sold on AUG 29 2025 thru OCT 2 2025 (Kroger recall)
- Scott & Jon’s Shrimp Scampi with Linguini Bowls 9.6-oz – best if used by dates of 3/12/2027, 3/13/2027, 3/17/2027, 3/21/2027 (Demers Food Group Recall)
- Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettucine Alfredo 16-oz plastic tray packages with “best if used by” dates of 9/20/2025, 9/24/2025, 9/27/2025, 9/28/2025, 10/01/2025, 10/03/2025, 10/05/2025, 10/08/2025, or 10/10/2025 (USDA FSIS public health alert)
- Albertsons stores recalled store-made deli pasta salads – sell thru dates from SEP 8 2025 to OCT 4 25 (Albertsons recall)
- Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce 12-oz. – best if used by dates of SEP 22, 2025; SEP 24, 2025; SEP 25, 2025; SEP 29, 2025; SEP 30, 2025; and OCT 01, 2025 (USDA FSIS public health alert)
- Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine 12.3-oz – best-by date of June 26, 2025, or prior; and 32.8-oz – best-by date of June 27, 2025, or prior (FreshRealm recall)
- Home Chef Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo 12.5-oz – best-by date of June 19, 2025, or prior (FreshRealm recall)
From KIRO 7 TV tonight:
A deadly listeria outbreak linked to frozen pasta meals has expanded to Washington State, with a Snohomish County woman recently hospitalized due to severe symptoms.
The outbreak, connected to frozen and ready-to-eat pasta meals sold at Trader Joe’s, Wal-Mart, and QFC, has affected 18 states, sickening at least 27 people and causing 6 deaths.
The contaminated meals were supplied by Nate’s Fine Foods out of Northern California.
Food safety attorney Bill Marler has expressed concern that the government shutdown is hindering efforts to manage the outbreak effectively.
“There’s very little information that’s coming out in a normal way,” Marler said, emphasizing the need for federal involvement in multi-state outbreaks.
Symptoms of listeria infection include fever, muscle aches, and tiredness, and can appear between 3 days and 10 weeks after exposure.
Marler advises consumers to dispose of any recalled items rather than attempting to cook out the contamination.
“It’s not worth the risk that your oven’s at the right temperature, your microwave is at the right time, it’s just not worth it,” he said.
Grocery stores are urged to double-check their freezer inventories to ensure that contaminated products are removed from shelves.
“A bunch of the cases are in the last few weeks, that is a bad omen that we’re not done with this yet,” Marler warned.
As the outbreak continues to unfold, consumers are advised to stay informed and cautious, particularly if they have purchased frozen pasta meals from the affected retailers.
Authorities are working to contain the spread and prevent further illnesses.