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(NewsNation) — Four individuals have passed away and 19 others have been hospitalized due to a listeria outbreak tied to recalled ready-to-eat pasta meals available at grocery stores nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s announcement.
By September 30, 20 cases of listeria poisoning had been confirmed across 15 states, linked to recalled pasta meals distributed at Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, and Albertsons stores.
The CDC initially reported the listeria outbreak in June, following emerging cases, and on September 25, the Food Safety and Inspection Service released a public health alert concerning potentially contaminated pasta meals.
Where did people get sick?
Deaths took place in Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and Utah, including one pregnancy-associated illness which resulted in a fetal loss.
Listeria infections were confirmed in the states of California (2 cases), Florida (1 case), Illinois (1 case), Indiana (1 case), Louisiana (2 cases), Michigan (2 cases), Minnesota (1 case), Missouri (1 case), Nevada (1 case), North Carolina (1 case), Ohio (1 case), South Carolina (1 case), Texas (3 cases), Utah (1 case), and Virginia (1 case).
The numbers mentioned only cover known cases and may not represent the entire extent of the outbreak, according to the CDC.
Which products are affected?
Albertsons: The company’s ready-to-eat pasta salads were sold with best-by dates from September 8 to September 29 at Albertsons and related stores in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
The full list of recalled products and more information can be found here.
Trader Joe’s: Their Cajun-style blackened chicken breast fettuccine alfredo with best-by dates of September 20, September 24, and September 27, 2025, was available in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.
More information on the recall can be found here.
Walmart: Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce with best-by dates of Sept. 22 through Oct. 1 were sold in Walmart stores around the country.
More information on the recall can be found here.
Kroger and Walmart: Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine and Home Chef Heat & Eat Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with best-by dates between June 19 and June 27.
More information on the recall can be found here.
What is listeria poisoning?
Listeria infections occur when the Listeria monocytogenes bacterium contaminates food, which a person then consumes.
According to the CDC, symptoms may include:
- Fever
- Muscle aches
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Confusion
- Loss of balance
- Convulsions
- Diarrhea
- Other gastrointestinal symptoms
- Miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery and/or life-threatening infection of newborn infants
- Death
Those at higher risk of becoming seriously ill or facing death from such an infection include pregnant women, individuals over the age of 65 and people with weakened immune systems.
