Six people are dead and dozens have gotten sick in the nationwide listeria outbreak linked to recalled pasta meals sold at grocery stores.
The listeria food poisoning is tied to pasta meals sold at stores including Walmart and Trader Joe’s in many states.
Recommended Videos
In total, at least six people have died and 27 have been sickened in 18 states in the outbreak that began in August 2024. The latest illnesses occurred in September and October, with the most recent on Oct. 16, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new deaths were reported in Hawaii and Oregon, the CDC said. Previous deaths were reported in Illinois, Michigan, Texas and Utah. One person who became ill was pregnant and it resulted in the death of a fetus.
The outbreak has been traced to precooked pasta produced by Nate’s Fine Foods of Roseville, California. In September, the company recalled nearly 245,000 pounds (111,130 kilograms) of pasta, including cases of linguine, fettuccine, penne and other products sold to large producers of heat-and-eat meals and pasta salads.
The move came after tests showed that pasta made by Nate’s Fine Foods contained the same strain of listeria found in chicken fettuccine Alfredo and meatball linguine products identified in the outbreak. FreshRealm, the San Clemente, California, company that produced those meals, used genetic sequencing to confirm the link to the outbreak.
Several national grocery stores have recalled dozens of products made with the affected pasta. People should check their refrigerators and freezers for the recalled foods and throw them away or return them to stores for a refund, officials said.
The CDC is working with state health officials to determine whether sick people ate recalled food or if additional foods may be contaminated with listeria bacteria linked to the outbreak. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department are also investigating.
Here are the recalls to date:
1. Sprouts Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad sold from the deli service counter or Grab & Go section with best-by dates from Oct. 10 to Oct. 29.
2. Giant Eagle smoked mozzarella pasta salad — expiration dates Sept. 30 through Oct. 7.
3. Kroger stores recalled deli bowtie and penne pasta salads — sold Aug. 29 through Oct. 2.
4. Scott & Jon’s Shrimp Scampi with Linguini Bowls 9.6-oz. — best if used by dates of March 12 and 13 and March 17 and 21 2027.
5. Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo 16-oz plastic tray packages with “best if used by” dates Sept. 20, Sept. 24, Sept. 27, Sept. 28, Oct. 1, Oct. 3, Oct. 5, Oct. 8 and Oct. 10.
6. Albertsons stores recalled store-made deli pasta salads — sell through dates from Sept. 8 to Oct. 4.
7. Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce 12-oz. — best-by dates of Sept. 22, Sept. 24, and 25 and Sept. 29 to Oct. 1.
8. 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.
9. Home Chef Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo 12.5-oz. — best-by date of June 19 or prior.
Increased risk for listeria
People who are at an increased risk of severe symptoms from listeria:
- Women who are pregnant
- Newborns
- People who are 65 years old or older
- People who have a weakened immune system
Symptoms of listeria
Women who are pregnant:
- Fever
- Flu-like symptoms, such as muscle aches and fatigue
Other people:
- Fever
- Flu-like symptoms, such as muscle aches and fatigue
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Confusion
- Loss of balance
- Seizures
Severity of invasive illness
Women who are pregnant:
- Symptoms in pregnant women are usually mild. Some pregnant women never have symptoms.
- Infection during pregnancy usually leads to
- miscarriage
- stillbirth
- premature delivery
- life-threatening infection of the newborn.
Other people:
- Symptoms in people who are not pregnant can be severe.
- In cases of invasive listeriosis not associated with pregnancy, almost 1 in 6 people die.
Intestinal illness
Listeria can also cause an intestinal illness. This kind of illness is rarely diagnosed because laboratories do not regularly test patient samples for Listeria.
Symptoms of intestinal illness usually start within 24 hours after eating food contaminated with Listeria and usually last 1–3 days.
Symptoms of intestinal illness:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
Severity of intestinal illness:
- Symptoms are usually mild.
- However, some people with intestinal illness develop invasive illness
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.