Nationwide listeria outbreak from recalled pasta meals leaves 7 dead, 27 hospitalized

Seven people died and 27 were hospitalized in a nationwide listeria outbreak tied to recalled precooked pasta meals, and federal officials said the recalled foods were no longer for sale. The final investigation counted 28 illnesses across 19 states, including one pregnancy-associated illness that ended in fetal loss.

The sick patients ranged from 4 to 92 years old, with a median age of 75, and 68% were female. Of 13 people interviewed, seven said they had eaten precooked meals, and four specifically named chicken fettuccine alfredo. Ill people reported buying the meals at Walmart and Kroger, which put the recall squarely into the everyday grocery run for a lot of households.

The outbreak was tied to prepared meals containing pasta. On June 17, 2025, FreshRealm, Inc. recalled pre-made chicken fettuccine alfredo products sold at Kroger and Walmart. On September 30, 2025, Nate’s Fine Foods, Inc. expanded its recall after a sample of linguine tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled pasta ingredients included fettuccine, linguine and farfalle, also known as bowtie pasta.

By October 2025, the recall had spread downstream to finished products sold under brands tied to Albertsons Companies, Kroger, Giant Eagle and Sprouts Farmers Market. That reach mattered: this was not one narrow store-brand problem, but a layered recall that moved through a broad retail network and touched refrigerated prepared meals across the United States.

The CDC said the outbreak was likely larger than the official count because some people recover without medical care and are never tested for Listeria. The agency also said the outbreak was closed and the recalled foods were no longer available for sale.

The warning signs are the ones people ignore at their peril. Listeria can survive in refrigerators and spread to other foods and surfaces, so any recalled meal should be thrown out or returned, and refrigerators, containers and counters that touched it need to be cleaned. Symptoms can begin within two weeks, but they may show up the same day or as late as 10 weeks after exposure. The illness is especially dangerous for pregnant people, adults 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems.