NEED TO KNOW
- More than 245,000 pounds of prepared pasta dishes are being recalled by their manufacturer due to potential listeria contamination
- The pasta products were sold at grocery stores across the country, including Kroger and Walmart
- The manufacturer, Nate’s Fine Foods, has been linked to a deadly listeria outbreak that began in 2024.
A California manufacturer that has been linked to a deadly listeria outbreak that began in 2024 is recalling more than 245,000 more pounds of prepared pasta dishes due to concerns of listeria contamination.
Nate’s Fine Foods, a ready-to-eat foods manufacturer in Roseville, Calif., initiated the voluntary recall of the pasta dishes on Thursday, October 9, according to the Associated Press. Food and Drug Administration records viewed by PEOPLE indicated that the recall impacted products sold at major grocery store chains across the country, including Giant Eagle, Walmart, Kroger, and Sprouts.
The company initiated the recall after genetic testing found a strain of listeria bacteria in prepared chicken fettuccine and meatball pasta products that matched a strain of bacteria that has been implicated in an ongoing listeria outbreak since August 2024.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the outbreak has resulted in at least four deaths, and sickened 20 others. The most recent case was confirmed by the agency on Sept. 11.
On Sept. 25, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued an alert that two ready-to-eat pasta meals produced by Nate’s Fine Foods — Walmart’s Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs and Marinara Sauce and Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo — were being recalled.
In a statement on its website, Nate’s Fine Foods wrote, “We are working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state health officials to fully investigate the source. Our top priority is ensuring the safety of the people who enjoy our products, and we will continue to take all appropriate steps until this matter is resolved.”
PEOPLE has reached out for comment.
A number of recalls related to listeria contamination have been initiated in recent months. On Oct. 7, meal delivery service HelloFresh recalled prepared meals containing spinach due to concerns of listeria contamination. In September, cheese products produced by Middlefield Original Cheese Co-Op were recalled from stores in Texas, Ohio, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, also because of potential listeria contamination.
According to the CDC, listeria infections are rare, but can result in a serious illness called listeriosis. The bacteria is, according to the agency, the third-leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States.
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Listeriosis, caused by ingesting food contaminated with the bacteria, is especially dangerous for people with compromised immune systems, infants, and the elderly. The Food and Drug Administration notes that symptoms of the illness include “headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions.”
T he full list of impacted products includes Sprouts Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad, Giant Eagle Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad, Kroger Bowtie Pasta Salad and Penne Pasta Salad, Scott & Jon’s Shrimp Scampi with Linguini Bowls, Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettucine Alfredo, Albertsons Bowtie Pasta Salad, Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce, Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine and Home Chef Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo 12.5-oz
The Food and Drug Administration has advised consumers who purchased recalled to throw them away, or return them to the point of purchase for a refund.
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