Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Listeria,Our Blog,Outbreaks & Recalls on September 30, 2025
Check your freezers! The deadly Listeria outbreak associated with prepared pasta meals has been linked to new products. More Walmart meals and a new Trader Joe’s meal has been recalled. A potential ingredient source has been identified.
In May and June, the Make Food Safe blog notified readers of Listeria illnesses linked to fettuccine alfredo meals from Walmart and Kroger.
At the time, there were 17 reported illnesses and 16 hospitalizations associated with the outbreak. In addition to a pregnancy associated illness resulting in fetal loss, three deaths other deaths were reported.
Traceback investigation led investigators to fettuccine alfredo meals produced by FreshRealm under the Marketside and HomeChef brands.
This prompted inspections at the manufacturing facility and sample collection of ingredients used to make the chicken fettuccine alfredo products.
Listeria monocytogenes bacteria were not found during these inspections. However, FreshRealm, Inc. issued a recall for their fettuccine alfredo products sold at both Kroger and Walmart produced at three of their facilities. Their San Clemente, California facility, their Montezuma, Georgia facility, and their Indianapolis, Indiana facility.
So far, there have now been 20 reported illnesses associated with prepared pasta meals from FreshRealm, Inc. All but one, (19 people), have been hospitalized. Four deaths and a fetal loss have been reported.
Kroger, Trader Joe’s, Walmart Prepared Pasta Meal Listeria Outbreak
20 Illnesses
19 Hospitalizations
4 Deaths
Sick people have been reported across 15 states. Including California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisianna, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
Headway was finally made in this Listeria outbreak on September 25, 2025. Reports of a sample of linguine pasta tested positive for Listeria bacteria. This pasta supplier does not sell these products directly to retail, but to other food manufacturers.
In response, certain lots of pre-cooked fettucine, linguine, and farfalle (bowtie) pasta were recalled. This company and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating the situation to determine if additional recalls are necessary.
Nearly all recalled prepared pasta meals are past the manufacturer’s printed “best if used by” dates. However, affected product may still be in consumer’s home refrigerators and freezers.
Recalled product includes:
These meals were available for sale in the refrigerated section of grocery stores and were intended to be microwaved prior to eating.
Listeria monocytogenes is the bacteria responsible for listeriosis. It causes a serious infection and is often associated with contaminated food.
The CDC estimates around 1,600 people become sick with listeriosis each year. About 260 of those die from the illness. Most of these illnesses are foodborne.
While anyone can become infected with Listeria, most normally healthy people do not become seriously ill. There are certain groups, however, that are more at risk of becoming sick or experiencing more severe illness.
High-risk groups include:
Listeria bacteria cause a complicated range of symptoms. These symptoms, like most bacterial infections, can cause either mild or severe illness.
A uniquely dangerous complication, however, affects those who are pregnant. Intestinal illness is about the same for everyone. Invasive illnesses is where things get more serious.
One of the most common forms of Listeria illness involves intestinal illness. Intestinal illness occurs when the bacteria infect the digestive system.
Common symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea beginning within 24 hours of consuming something contaminated with Listeria bacteria. These symptoms are often resolved within three days.
Most people with intestinal Listeria illness do not require medical intervention or antibiotic treatment. Plenty of rest, fluids, and treating the symptoms is your best bet.
Intestinal Listeria illness can evolve into a more invasive illness.
Listeria bacteria cause invasive illness when they leave the digestive system and enter other parts of the body. Invasive listeriosis affects pregnant people and non-pregnant people in different ways. For both categories, invasive illness symptoms usually begin about two weeks after exposure.
While personal symptoms of invasive listeriosis are milder in pregnant people, the impact on the pregnancy poses potentially serious consequences. Someone who is pregnant and experiencing invasive listeriosis may have fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. However, listeriosis during pregnancy can lead to still birth, premature deliver, miscarriage, or life-threatening infection in the newborn.
Those who are not pregnant have a higher risk of serious illness or death. These people often experience symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. Fever and muscle aches are also possible symptoms. This type of illness can be serious and life-threatening. Most people with invasive listeriosis require medical treatment and often need hospitalization. 1 in 20 non-pregnant people with invasive listeriosis will die from their illness.
Anytime food is contaminated, whether with Salmonella, E. coli, or in this case, Listeria, it is a big deal. However, when it comes to Listeria and refrigerated food, you have a bad combination.
The reason this recall is a big deal, is that instead of these foods coming to the consumer and distributed raw, they are packaged and intended as ready-to-eat food.
All the products contain instructions to microwave prior to serving. While microwaving is a heating method that can kill harmful germs if cooked long enough and an appropriate internal temperature is achieved.
This is unlikely.
What makes this specific product recall even more dangerous is the nature of the pathogen involved.
While all of the recalled products indicate they are to be kept refrigerated, Listeria bacteria are not bothered by the cold. Refrigerated temperatures can slow down many different bacterial species’ growth, but Listeria can happily thrive and reproduce in cold temperatures. Making it very dangerous for ready-to-eat food products.
If you have fallen sick from eating prepared pasta meals, you may be eligible for legal compensation.
The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has helped many families with cases just like yours help hold accountable those responsible for foodborne illness. When a company becomes negligent, people become sick.
Call (833) 330-3663 or submit your information on the online submission form for a free consultation.
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)