Federal health agencies say a multistate listeria outbreak linked to ready-to-eat and heat-and-eat pasta products has worsened: as of late October 2025, six people have died and 27 have been infected across 18 states, with all but two of the sickened individuals hospitalized. The cluster traces to prepared pasta meals sold under multiple retail brands and to a common precooked pasta supplier; one illness involved a pregnant person and resulted in a fetal loss. The outbreak, first noticed in June, prompted a series of recalls through September and October after genetic testing tied positive samples from product lots to the same Listeria monocytogenes strain. Authorities are urging consumers to discard recalled items, clean food-contact surfaces, and seek medical care for symptoms consistent with listeriosis.
- Confirmed toll: 6 deaths and 27 illnesses reported as of late October 2025; 25 of the 27 patients required hospitalization.
- Geographic spread: Cases reported in 18 states — CA, FL, HI, IL, IN, LA, MI, MN, MO, NC, NV, OH, OR, SC, TX, UT, VA, WA.
- Initial detection and testing: The outbreak was identified in June; by mid-September FreshRealm’s pasta samples tested positive and matched the outbreak strain.
- Products and brands recalled: Affected items include prepared chicken fettuccine Alfredo and other heat-and-eat/pre-made pasta meals sold under Home Chef (Kroger), Marketside (Walmart), Trader Joe’s and multiple supermarket brands.
- Shared supplier: Several recalled products used precooked pasta from Nate’s Fine Foods, which expanded its recall after positive tests.
- Long shelf-life item: Scott & Jon’s Shrimp Scampi with Linguini Bowls have best-by dates into March 2027 and were distributed to wholesale operators nationwide.
- At-risk groups: Pregnant people, newborns, adults 65+ and immunocompromised individuals face the highest risk of severe outcomes.
Background
Public health authorities first associated a rise in listeriosis cases with prepared pasta meals in June 2025 when consumers in multiple states reported serious infections. Prepared, heat-and-eat and pre-made refrigerated pasta dishes are commonly distributed through supermarkets and foodservice channels, creating a wide potential exposure network when a shared ingredient is contaminated. FreshRealm Inc. recalled ready-to-eat chicken fettuccine Alfredo sold under Home Chef at Kroger and boxed meals sold under Marketside at Walmart after initial concerns surfaced; later testing implicated the same strain across additional products.
Nate’s Fine Foods, a supplier of precooked pasta and grains to wholesale and restaurant customers, supplied pasta used in several of the recalled items. In late September the company expanded its recall after samples of linguine collected by FreshRealm tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, prompting downstream recalls across multiple retailers in early October. The FDA and CDC have been coordinating with state health departments and the firms involved to trace production lots, test retained samples, and determine whether further recalls are necessary.
Main Event
Between June and October 2025, a succession of recalls removed dozens of SKU-specific batches of prepared pasta from supermarket distribution as agencies linked illnesses to particular use-by dates and lot codes. Mid-September testing of retained product by FreshRealm produced positive results; genetic analysis confirmed the isolate matched the outbreak strain, leading regulators to widen the recall scope. Late-September and early-October notices named specific products such as Marketside Linguine With Beef Meatballs & Marinara and Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo.
Federal updates noted that since the CDC case-count posted on September 25, 2025, seven additional illnesses from three states were reported and two more deaths were added to the tally, according to FDA statements. By late October, investigators had identified 27 illnesses and six deaths across 18 states. The CDC reported it had interviewed 13 patients by late September; seven reported eating precooked meals before illness onset and four specifically mentioned chicken fettuccine Alfredo.
Retailers and manufacturers removed implicated products from shelves and issued public recall notices; officials advised consumers to discard recalled items and sanitize refrigerators and food containers. Because many recalled refrigerated products had use-by dates earlier than October 10, most are more likely to remain in household refrigerators or freezers than in stores, though some frozen items with long best-by dates remain a distribution concern.
Analysis & Implications
The outbreak highlights vulnerabilities in supply chains where a single ingredient — precooked pasta in this case — can reach multiple brands and retail channels, multiplying the scope of exposure. When contamination occurs at a supplier level, downstream firms may not detect the problem until illnesses prompt traceback and retained-sample testing, lengthening the time to identify all affected lots. The identification of the outbreak strain in FreshRealm samples illustrates how retained-sample testing can close epidemiologic loops but also underscores the limits of routine monitoring when positive isolates are rare or intermittent.
Economically, expanded recalls and the removal of products from retail and foodservice inventories can produce substantial costs for suppliers and retailers, including product replacement, disposal, and lost sales. For consumers, the most immediate implication is health risk for vulnerable groups; pregnant people face the most severe obstetric outcomes, including fetal loss, which was reported in this cluster. Public health messaging therefore focuses on both safe handling and early clinical evaluation for symptomatic at-risk individuals.
Regulatory implications include renewed scrutiny of sanitation, environmental monitoring and supplier qualification practices at companies that produce precooked, ready-to-eat ingredients. The sequence of recalls may prompt agencies to press for more frequent environmental sampling, stronger supplier audits, and clearer lot-tracking across cold-chain distribution. Internationally, the episode could influence import/export scrutiny for similar products if cross-border distribution is involved.
Comparison & Data
| Outbreak (year) | Deaths | Hospitalizations | States affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 (prepared pasta) | 6 | 25 | 18 |
| 2024 (deli meats) | 10 | Dozens | Multiple |
| 2018–2023 (frozen shakes & others) | 14 | 42 | 21 (in 2018 outbreak) |
The table above places the current cluster in the context of recent U.S. listeria events: the 2024 deli-meat outbreak was deadlier, and a prior long-running outbreak tied to frozen products sickened dozens and killed 14. These comparisons show that while the 2025 pasta-linked outbreak is smaller by those metrics, its wide retail footprint and the long shelf life of some frozen items increase its public-health and commercial significance.
Reactions & Quotes
Officials and companies have issued measured statements while investigations proceed; regulators emphasize consumer safety and ongoing testing efforts. Below are representative statements with context.
“Since the last CDC case count update on September 25, 2025, a total of 7 new illnesses from 3 states have been reported, with 2 additional deaths reported.”
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (official update)
This FDA summary accompanied recall notices and reflects the incremental case-count increases reported to regulators; it was used to justify expanded sampling and recall activity.
“We are recalling the products out of an abundance of caution and apologize for any concern this has caused.”
Nate’s Fine Foods (company statement)
Nate’s framed its recall as precautionary while it worked with the CDC, FDA and state health officials; the company said it would continue cooperation with investigators to identify the contamination source.
“Consumers who purchased any of these meals should throw them away, and clean their refrigerators, containers and any surfaces that may have come into contact with the food.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (consumer guidance)
The CDC emphasized proper disposal and sanitation as immediate steps consumers should take to reduce household cross-contamination risk and to protect high-risk individuals.
Unconfirmed
- Precise root-cause: Investigators have not publicly confirmed the exact contamination point or mechanism within Nate’s Fine Foods production facilities.
- Scope of retail presence: It is not fully confirmed whether all product lots produced during the implicated time frame were removed from every retail and foodservice channel.
- Long-term traceability fixes: Specific policy or regulatory changes resulting from this outbreak have not been finalized and remain subject to agency review.
Bottom Line
The current listeria outbreak tied to prepared pasta products demonstrates how contamination at an ingredient supplier can rapidly affect many brands and retailers. Although the confirmed case count (27 illnesses, six deaths) is smaller than some prior U.S. listeria events, the presence of long shelf-life frozen items and the broad retail distribution raise persistent exposure concerns and increase the need for thorough traceback and testing.
Public-health priorities now are completing epidemiologic interviews, finishing genetic and environmental testing, and ensuring recalled items are removed from consumer access. Clinicians should consider listeriosis in patients with compatible symptoms who report recent consumption of recalled or similar ready-to-eat pasta meals, and members of high-risk groups should follow CDC guidance to discard implicated products and seek prompt medical care if symptomatic.
Sources
- NPR — news report summarizing federal updates and recalls (media).
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — official outbreak guidance and case investigation updates (federal public health agency).
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — recall announcements and agency statements (federal regulatory agency).
- FreshRealm Inc. — company information and recall notices (industry).
- Nate’s Fine Foods — supplier recall statement and product information (industry).