🇺🇸deadly listeria outbreak linked to contaminated pre-cooked pasta in ready made meals; massive recalls ongoing🇺🇸
listeria can take between a few hours to more than two months (~10 weeks) to cause illness after eating contaminated food. antibiotics are available, and some doctors will prescribe them to high-risk patients with suspected listeria exposure before they experience symptoms.
you may remember back in june there was a deadly listeria outbreak linked to chicken fettuccine alfredo (FDA link). I (rune) made a post about it. at the time of that outbreak, it was not clear which specific ingredient was contaminated with listeria.
the contaminated ingredient was finally identified, and it is pre-cooked pasta. in the months since june 2025, food containing the contaminated pasta was sold in thousands of grocery stores nationwide. for at least some of the recalled products, contamination dates back to at least august 2024. the current number of illnesses linked to this outbreak is 20, with 19 hospitalizations and 4 deaths.
stores that sold meals contaminated with listeria include: kroger, baker's, city market, dillons, fred meyer, fry's, gerbes, king soopers, payless, ralphs and smith's, giant eagle, market district, albertsons, albertsons market, amigos, andronico's community markets, carrs-safeway, eagle, pak 'n save, pavilions, market street, randalls, safeway, tomb thumb, united and vons, walmart, and trader joe's. this list is not comprehensive and recalls are ongoing as more products containing the contaminated pasta get identified and recalled.
FDA investigation - CDC investigation
Do not eat or serve certain meals containing pre-cooked pasta.
FDA’s investigation is ongoing.
this post is going to wind up long, so I (rune) am going to try and give summaries rather than copy and pasting all the information, to make it a little bit shorter.
on june 18 2025, the US FDA, CDC, and USDA FSIS announced a listeria outbreak associated with ready-to-eat chicken fettuccine alfredo meals, with linked illnesses dating back to august 2024. the USDA FSIS is involved because these are products containing a lot of chicken. the USDA FSIS gets involved with products containing a significant amount of eggs, poultry, and/or meat.
at that time it was unclear which ingredient in the chicken fettuccine alfredo was contaminated with listeria. because the specific source of the listeria contamination could not be determined, products containing the contaminated ingredient (pre-cooked pasta) have remained on shelves for months since then.
on september 25 2025, the USDA FSIS issued an alert saying that the likely culprit was pre-cooked pasta from nate's fine foods, and recalls for meals containing listeria-contaminated pre-cooked pasta began. their contaminated pasta is used in a LOT of different food.
as of september 25 2025: 20 illnesses, 19 hospitalizations, and 4 deaths in 15 states have currently been linked to this outbreak. as listeria can take up to 10 weeks to cause illness, followed by 3-4 weeks for any given case of foodborne illness to become associated with any given outbreak, these numbers will likely rise. not every illness from listeria is deadly, so many people recover without medical care and do not get their illnesses counted.
Symptoms of Listeriosis (Listeria Infection):
Symptoms usually start within two weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after. Mild symptoms may include a fever, muscle aches, nausea, tiredness, vomiting, and diarrhea. If the more severe form of listeriosis develops, symptoms may include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions.
if you suspect you have symptoms of illness from listeria, consider getting prompt medical care, especially if you are in a high-risk group. the earlier you get diagnosed and treated, the better. in some cases, your healthcare team may choose to prescribe you antibiotics if you have eaten the affected food, even if you do not have symptoms. high-risk groups for listeria infection include people who are over 65, have weakened immune systems, or are pregnant.
the maps on the investigation pages showing where the people who live got sick does not represent the locations where the contaminated food was sold. the contaminated pre-cooked pasta was likely sold in every single US state. not every illness was necessarily reported, diagnosed, and/or investigated in a way that could get it linked to this outbreak.
before I (rune!) get to the recalls, I want to point out something here that always comes up: if a food is advertised as ready-to-eat, that means it is supposed to be fully cooked and safe to eat without needing to heat or cook it first. and no, you should NOT be trying to cook something you know is contaminated with listeria. you seriously do not want to be fucking with listeria. while most people who get exposed to listeria do not become seriously ill, listeriosis is one of the deadliest forms of food poisoning/foodborne illness.
that being said, the US FDA does have some recommendations to help reduce the risk of getting sick from listeria, including safer choices to make with food, food preparation, and storage. everyone who values food safety even a little should own a food thermometer. listeria is fairly fucking resilient. if you have any of the recalled foods in your fridge or freezer, you are going to want to clean and sanitize your fridge, freezer, and/or anything else the listeria-contaminated food may have touched.
although the vast majority of these recalls involve food with relatively nearby best-by dates, at least some of these products have likely been contaminated since at least august 2024. you will probably not be able to get a refund on food outside of the listed recall dates. many of these recalls say that no illnesses have been linked to the individual recalls, which is technically correct, as listeria is one of the harder things to track down, can take up to 10 weeks to cause illness, followed by 3-4 weeks to get linked to any outbreak. the outbreak these recalls are linked to has killed several people already.
recall list is below a cut due to length. no images below the cut so it loads better. when sharing this outbreak outside of tumblr, I recommend using the FDA outbreak investigation link, which lists these recalls as well as links to the CDC and USDA FSIS pages.
tumblr still will not let poor old rune here write tables, and all these recalls provide different information in different styles. did my best to format this for tumblr, but remember that you can click any recall link for more information. some recall pages include visuals of the recalled products. these recalls will likely continue to expand.
RECALLED ITEMS (as of october 4, 2025):
freshrealm recall of chicken fettuccine alfredo products sold at kroger and walmart stores nationwide. USDA mark of inspections on the paroduct label: (from back in june, least currently relevant recalls)
marketside grilled chicken alfredo with fettuccine tender pasta with creamy alfredo sauce, white meat chicken and shaved parmesan cheese
comes in 32.8 oz tray packages
best by dates of 6/27/2025 or earlier
USDA mark of inspection EST. P-50784
marketside grilled chicken alfredo with fettuccine tender pasta with creamy alfredo sauce, white meat chicken, broccoli, and shaved parmesan cheese
comes in 12.3 oz tray packages
best by dates of 6/26/2025 or earlier
USDA mark of inspection EST. P-47770
home chef eat & eat chicken fettuccine alfredo with pasta, grilled white meat chicken, and parmesan cheese
comes in 12.5 oz tray packages
best by dates of 6/19/2025 or earlier
USDA mark of inspection EST. P-47718
trader joe's cajun style blackened chicken breast fettucine alfredo
sold at trader joe's stores in arizona, california, nevada, new mexico, utah
comes in 16 oz plastic trays
best by dates: 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
marketside beef meetball marinara linguine meals
sold at walmart stores nationwide
best by dates: sep 22 2025, sep 24 2025, sep 25 2025, sep 29 2025, sep 30 2025, oct 1 2025
establishment number "EST 50784" or "EST. 47718" inside the USDA mark of inspection
demers food group recall of scott & jon's shrimp scampi with linguini bowls distributed nationally to wholesale distributors and operators between 9/15/2025 and 9/25/2025
scott & jon's shrimp scampi with linguini
UPC 858175003919
GTIN 10858175003916
lot codes: S254522, S255522, S259522, S263521, S263522
best by dates: 3/12/2027, 3/13/2027, 3/17/2027, 3/21/2027
size: 9.6 oz
albertsons companies recall of items containing bowtie pasta
ready made pesto bowtie pasta salad
sold at albertsons, safeway stores in colorado, nebraska, new mexico, south dakota, wyoming
UPC 27133000000
sell thru dates: september 13 2025 thru october 4 2025
basil pesto bowtie salad
sold at albertsons and safeway stores in colorado, nebraska, new mexico, south dakota, wyoming
UPC 29492100000
sell thru dates: september 13 2025 thru october 4 2025
ready meals pesto bowtie pasta salad
sold at albertsons, pavilions, safeway, and vons stores in arizona, california, nevada, new mexico, texas, utah
UPC 27133000000
sell thru dates: september 8 2025 thru october 4 2025
basil pesto bowtie pasta salad
sold at albertsons, pavilions, safeway, and vons stores in arizona, california, nevada, new mexico, texas, utah
UPC 29492100000
sell thru dates: september 8 2025 thru october 4 2025
ready meals pesto bowtie pasta salad
sold at albertsons, randalls, and tom thumb stores in arkansas, louisiana, oklahoma, texas
UPC 27133000000
sell thru dates: september 20 2025 thru october 4 2025
basil pesto bowtie pasta salad
sold at albertsons, randalls, and tom thumb stores in arkansas, louisiana, oklahoma, texas
UPC 29492100000
sell thru dates: september 20 2025 thru october 4 2025
basil pesto bowtie pasta salat
sold at safeway, andronico's community markets, vons, and pak 'n save stores in california, hawaii, nevada
UPC 21649200000
sell thru dates: september 11 2025 thru october 4 2025
grilled chicken & basil pasta extra large
sold at carrs-safeway, eagle, safeway stores in alaska
UPC 21303500000
sell thru dates: september 18 2025 thru october 4 2025
ready meals basil pesto bowtie salad
sold at carrs-safeway, eagle, and safeway stores in alaska
UPC 29130800000
sell thru dates: september 18 2025 thru october 4 2025
ready meals spinach bowtie pasta salad
sold at united, amigos, market street, and albertsons market stores in new mexico, texas
UPC 21142600000
sell thru dates: september 16 2025 thru october 4 2025
ready meals basil bowtie pasta salad
sold at united, amigos, market street, and albertsons market stores in new mexico, texas
UPC 21191300000
sell thru dates: september 16 2025 thru october 4 2025
readymeals smoked mozzarella with extra hot links extra large
sold at carrs-safeway, eagle, and safeway stores in alaska
UPC 20000300000
sell thru dates september 25 2025 thru october 4 2025
smoked mozzarella penne salad kit
sold at carrs-safeway, eagle, and safeway stores in alaska
UPC 27187600000
sell thru dates september 25 2025 thru october 4 2025
readymeals smoked mozzarella penne pasta salad
sold at carrs-safeway, eagle, and safeway stores in alaska
UPC 29129800000
sell thru dates september 25 2025 thru october 4 2025
(end of albertsons recalls)
giant eagle recall of smoked mozzarella pasta salad sold at giant eagle and market district stores in pennsylvania, ohio, maryland, and indiana
smoked mozzarella penne salad
UPC 256616000000
weight varies
expiration dates: 9/30/2025 through 10/7/2025
smoked mozzarella penne salad-small
UPC 246511000000
weight: 4 lbs 8 oz
expiration dates: 9/30/2025 through 10/3/2025
smoked mozzarella penne salad-large
UPC 246512000000
weight: 9 lbs
expiration dates: 9/30/2025 through 10/3/2025
kroger recall of two varieties of deli pasta salads sold at over 1,860 stores under the names of kroger, baker's, city market, dillons, fred meyer, fry's, gerbes, king soopers, payless, and ralphs and smith's in alaska, alabama, arkansas, arizona, california, colorado, georgia, idaho, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, louisiana, michigan, missouri, montana, nebraska, new mexico, nevada, ohio, oregon, south carolina, tennessee, texas, utah, washington, west virginia. return to store for full refund or replacement.
rune note: the FDA outbreak's description lists the locations for this recall as follows (not 1:1 with the FDA recall's list):
"...bowtie and penne pasta salads sold at the deli service counter and in grab-n-go packages from the deli department from Kroger stores located in Georgia; South Carolina; Auburn, Alabama; Greater Cincinnati (including Northern Kentucky and Dayton, Ohio plus South Eastern Indiana); Central and Northwest Ohio; Northwestern Virginia panhandle; Michigan; Indiana (except SE Indiana, -Evansville-); Illinois; Eastern Missouri; Greater Louisville area (including Indiana) and Lexington, Kentucky; Hopkinsville and Bowling Green, Kentucky; Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee; Huntsville, Alabama; Greater Memphis area, Tennessee; Arkansas; Mississippi; Western Kentucky; North Carolina; Virginia; Eastern West Virginia; Eastern Kentucky; Southeastern Ohio; Texas and Louisiana; Dillons, Baker's, Gerbes, King Soopers. City Market, Fry's, Fred Meyer, Ralphs and Smith's stores."
basil pesto bowtie pasta salad
UPC 217573-10000
random weight, sold at deli service counter
sold on: september 6 2025 thru october 2 2025
basil pesto bowtie pasta salad
UPC 217573-20000
random weight, grab-n-go packages sold in deli department
sold on: september 6 2025 thru october 2 2025
smoked mozzarella penne salad
UPC 227573-10000
random weight, sold at deli service counter
sold on: august 29 2025 thru october 2 2025
smoked mozzarella penne salad
UPC 227573-10000
random weight, grab-n-go packages sold in deli department
sold on august 29 2025 thru october 2 2025
another big recall. this took me hours to type, so the individual product names do not all have links to their respective recall listings, because I was really nervous it might screw up the formatting. recall links apply to all products listed below them until another recall is named and another link is given.
as a reminder again, listeria can take between a few hours and 10 weeks to cause illness. please do me (rune!!) a big favor and try not to say something in the notes like, "well I ate this a week ago and should be safe." although the thought you might be in the clear is comforting, listeria is a huge fucking bastard and we should all strive to not risk spreading a false sense of security to anyone who should have otherwise been monitoring for symptoms for up to 10 weeks after eating contaminated pasta.
if it has been over 10 weeks since you ate food contaminated with listeria, then you are probably in the clear.
thanks so much for reading, stay safe and take care!
“Disability in the Church” Hunter Steinitz is an ordained ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a candidate in the ordination process and a recent graduate from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She is also a contributor to the Presbyterian Outlook and disability liberation theologian. H
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