CDC: Listeria Outbreak Linked to Prepared Pasta Meals Expands, Leaves Six Dead Across 18 States

At least 27 people have been hospitalized and six have died in connection with a Listeria outbreak linked to ready-to-eat pasta meals.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Thursday that illnesses have now been identified in 18 states, up from 15 reported on Sept. 25. Since that date, the agency also reported seven new Listeria cases, including six additional hospitalizations and two deaths.

Listeria is a dangerous foodborne pathogen that usually causes intestinal illness. But in severe cases, the bacteria can spread and cause life-threatening symptoms.

Recalls of products tied to the outbreak began in June and have since expanded to include a total of nine prepared pasta meal products sold nationwide by Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, Albertsons, and other retailers.

Which Products Have Been Linked to the Outbreak?

The recalled pasta meals, tied to contaminated pre-cooked pasta supplied by Nate’s Fine Foods, Inc., were pulled from store shelves between June 17 and Oct. 10, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is still investigating potential sources of the outbreak.

Two of the nine recalled meals just passed or haven’t passed their best-if-used-by dates, so they may still be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers:

• Sprouts Farmers Market smoked mozzarella pasta salad: Best-if-used-by dates of Oct. 10, through Oct. 29, 2025.
• Scott & Jon’s shrimp scampi with linguini bowls (9.6-oz): Best-if-used-by dates in March 2027.

The other products included in the recall are:

• Giant Eagle smoked mozzarella pasta salad: Expiration dates Sept. 30 through Oct. 7, 2025 (Giant Eagle recall).
• Kroger stores deli bowtie and penne pasta salads: Sold between Aug. 29 and Oct. 2, 2025 (Kroger recall).
• Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo: 16-oz plastic tray packages with best-if-used-by dates of Sept. 20, Sept. 24, Sept. 27, Sept. 28, Oct. 1, Oct. 3, Oct. 5, Oct. 8, and Oct. 10, 2025 (USDA FSIS public health alert).
• Albertsons store-made deli pasta salads: Sell-thru dates between Sept. 8 and Oct. 4, 2025 (Albertsons recall).
• Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce: 12-oz. package with best-if-used-by dates of Sept. 22, Sept. 24, Sept. 25, Sept. 29, Sept. 30, and Oct. 1, 2025 (USDA FSIS public health alert)
• Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine: 12.3-oz package with best-by date of June 26, 2025, or prior; and 32.8-oz package with best-by date of June 27, 2025, or prior (FreshRealm recall).
• Home Chef Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo: 12.5-oz package with best-by date of June 19, 2025, or prior (FreshRealm recall)

Where Has the Listeria Outbreak Spread?

As of Oct. 30, illnesses have been reported in the following states:

• California
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Louisiana
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• North Carolina
• Nevada
• Ohio
• Oregon
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Washington

Deaths have been reported in Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Oregon, Texas, and Utah.

What You Should Do

Check your refrigerator or freezer for the affected pasta meals, and do not eat them if you have any. Instead, throw them away and clean any surfaces the food may have touched.

Certain groups—pregnant people, those aged 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems—are at higher risk of developing severe illness if infected with Listeria.

If you fall into one of those categories and believe you ate a recalled meal, the CDC urges you to contact a healthcare provider immediately if you experience symptoms, which can appear the same day or as long as 10 weeks after.

Common symptoms of Listeria include:

• Fever
• Flu-like symptoms, such as muscle aches and fatigue
• Headache
• Stiff neck
• Confusion
• Loss of balance
• Seizures