
iStockphoto
Four people have died and almost 20 have been hospitalized due to a listeria outbreak that’s been linked to ready-to-eat pasta products. As a result, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a recall of these products that were sold at grocery stores including Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, and Albertsons.
The initial recall of the prepared pasta meals was initially announced on Thursday, Sept. 25 by the FDA. Since then, the alert has been expanded as the listeria outbreak has now spread to at least 15 states including California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. The recalled products were also sold in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
“On September 25, 2025, the supplier of the affected pasta, Nate’s Fine Foods, Inc., recalled certain lots of pre-cooked pasta including fettucine, linguine, and farfalle (bowtie), after a sample of linguine pasta collected and tested by FreshRealm tested positive for listeria monocytogenes,” the FDA wrote in a statement announcing the recall.
Nate’s Fine Foods does not sell directly to consumers. Their products are sold to other companies that put their own brand’s names on them. The FDA reports that these “prepared meals may have been sold in the refrigerated sections of grocery stores and are intended for microwaving before eating.”
Below is a list of the pasta products currently being recalled.
• Albertsons: Albertsons, Albertsons Market, Amigos, Andronico’s Community Markets, Carrs-Safeway, Eagle, Pak ‘N Save, Pavilions, Market Street, Randalls, Safeway, Tom Thumb, and Vons
• Kroger: Home Chef Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Meals
• Trader Joe’s: Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettucine Alfredo
• Walmart: Marketside Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Meals; Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce
“Of the 13 people interviewed, 7 (54%) reported eating precooked meals, and 4 specifically reported eating chicken fettuccine alfredo,” the FDA wrote. “Of 20 people with information available, 19 have been hospitalized and 4 deaths have been reported.”
Previous reports of listeria in the United States
Back in May, a listeria outbreak linked to different ready-to-eat foods hospitalized 10 people in California and Nevada, leading to a recall of Fresh & Ready Foods, LLC products in those two states as well as in Arizona and Washington.
Those products, including the brand names Fresh & Ready Foods, City Point Market Fresh Food to Go, and Fresh Take Crave Away, were being sold at numerous locations including hospitals, hotels, convenience stores, and airports.
In addition to these recent listeria outbreaks, the CDC has also been dealing with outbreaks of measles, bird flu, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, alpha-gal syndrome, and Candida auris (C. auris) infections in 2025.
Listeria outbreak also hits Sweden
Coincidentally, the BBC reports four people in Stockholm, Sweden have been diagnosed with sepsis after eating at a luxury restaurant linked to a suspected listeria outbreak. So far, at least 15 people have been treated or are under observation in a hospital.
A press release issued by regional health officials warned that “a large number of people may have been infected” as 85 people have complained of having food poisoning after dining at the restaurant.