Six deaths and 25 hospitalizations have been linked to a listeria outbreak tied to recalled precooked pasta meals, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The contamination involves multiple ready-to-eat pasta products that were voluntarily removed from shelves after the bacteria was detected.
The FDA reported that since the last CDC case count update on September 25, 2025, seven new illnesses and two additional deaths have been confirmed across three states. As of Thursday, 27 individuals infected by the outbreak required hospitalization. Cases have spread to 18 states, including California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.
The crisis began in June when listeria concerns led to recalls of several brands of ready-to-eat chicken fettuccine Alfredo meals produced by FreshRealm Inc. under the Home Chef brand at Kroger and the Marketside brand at Walmart. Further testing by FreshRealm in mid-September found listeria in pasta samples, with genetic analysis confirming the same strain linked to earlier recalls.
This discovery prompted additional product withdrawals in late September and early October, including Marketside Linguine With Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce sold at Walmart and Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo. Both items shared a supplier, Nate’s Fine Foods, which provides precooked pasta and grains to food service and restaurant industries.
In late September, Nate’s Fine Foods expanded its recall to include other batches of precooked pasta, such as fettucine, linguine, and farfalle (bowtie), after a sample tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The FDA urged consumers to check refrigerators and freezers for recalled items and discard them immediately.