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

At least 27 people were hospitalized and six died following a Listeria epidemic linked to ready-to-eat pasta dishes.

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

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

Product recalls related to the outbreak began in June and have since expanded to include a total of nine prepared pasta dishes sold nationwide by Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, Albertsons and other retailers.

The recalled pasta dishes, linked to contaminated precooked pasta supplied by Nate’s Fine Foods, Inc., were removed from store shelves between June 17 and October 10, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is still investigating potential sources of the outbreak.

Two of the nine recalled meals have either just passed or not passed their expiration date, so they may still be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers:

• Sprouts Farmers Market Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad: Best before dates from October 10 to October 29, 2025.
• Scott & Jon’s Shrimp Scampi with Linguini Bowls (9.6 oz): Best before dates in March 2027.

Other products included in the recall are:

• Giant Eagle Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad: Expiration dates from September 30 to October 7, 2025 (Giant Eagle recall).
• Kroger stocks bowtie and penne deli salads: Sold between August 29 and October 2, 2025 (Kroger recall).
• Trader Joe’s Cajun Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo: Packaged in 16-ounce plastic trays with expiration dates of September 20, September 24, September 27, September 28, October 1, October 3, October 5, October 8, and October 10, 2025 (USDA FSIS Public Health Alert).
• Albertsons Store-Made Deli Pasta Salads: Sale dates between September 8 and October 4, 2025 (Albertsons reminder).
• Market linguine with beef meatballs and marinara sauce: 12 oz. package with expiration dates if used before September 22, September 24, September 25, September 29, September 30, and October 1, 2025 (USDA FSIS Public Health Alert)
• Market Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine: 12.3 ounce package with best before date of June 26, 2025; and 32.8 ounce package with a best before date of June 27, 2025 or earlier (FreshRealm recall).
• Home Chef Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo: 12.5 ounce package with expiration date of June 19, 2025 or earlier (FreshRealm recall).

As of October 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.

Check your refrigerator or freezer for affected pasta and don’t eat it if you have it. Instead, throw them away and clean any surfaces that the food may have touched.

Certain groups (pregnant people, people aged 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems) are at higher risk of developing serious illness if they become infected with the virus. Listeria.

If you fall into one of these categories and think you ate a recalled meal, the CDC urges you to contact a doctor immediately if you experience symptoms, which may appear the same day or up to 10 weeks later.

Common symptoms of Listeria include:

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