A listeria outbreak from June, linked to premade pasta meals sold at Walmart and Kroger, appears to be ongoing, causing additional product recalls at Walmart, Trader Joe’s, and Albertsons.
The outbreak so far has been blamed for 20 hospitalizations, including 4 deaths, across 15 states.
Ready-to-Eat Pasta Meals From Trader Joe’s and Walmart
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert on September 30 that some ready-to-eat meals from Trader Joe’s and Walmart contained precooked pasta that may be contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.
The public health alert called out two items:
12-ounce (oz) packages of Marketside Linguine With Beef Meatballs and Marinara Sauce, sold at Walmart, with “Best if Used By” dates between September 22 and October 1, 2025, and the establishment numbers “EST. 50784” or "EST. 47718."
12 oz packages of Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo, with “Best if Used By” dates between 9/20/2025 and 10/10/2025, and the establishment number “P-45288.”
Trader Joe’s said it was issuing a recall out of an abundance of caution, but that none of its products had tested positive for listeria. It said the potentially affected pasta was sold in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. It hasn’t received any reports of illness tied to the product, but said the pasta should still be thrown out or returned to a store for a refund.
The FSIS statement did not specify where the affected pasta from Walmart was sold.
FSIS said the above items should not be eaten. The pasta dishes should be thrown away or returned to where they were purchased.
Deli-Made Pasta Salads at Albertsons Stores
Albertsons Companies issued an updated voluntary recall on October 1 for several of its store-made deli foods containing a bow tie pasta that was recalled by its manufacturer, Nate’s Fine Foods, because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Albertsons recalled the following products:
Basil Pesto Bowtie Pasta Salad
Grilled Chicken & Basil Pasta Extra Large
Spinach Bowtie Pasta Salad Chicken Ginger Broccoli
These pasta salads were available for purchase at the following stores: Albertsons, Albertsons Market, Amigos, Andronico’s Community Market, Carrs-Safeway, Eagle, Pak ‘N Save, Pavilions, Market Street, Randalls, Safeway, Tom Thumb, and Vons.
The recalled products were sold in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, United, Utah, and Wyoming. A full list of products, and the specific states where they were sold, is on the Albertsons website.
The company said there had been no illnesses reported tied to these products. If you have any of these items, don’t eat them; throw them away or return them to where they were purchased for a refund.
Why Is Listeria Dangerous?
Listeria-contamined food can lead to an infection known as listeriosis. Healthy children and younger adults rarely get sick from listeriosis. Mild listeriosis — which can cause fever, diarrhea, or other stomach problems — gets better without treatment.
Adults older than 60, people with weakened immune systems, and pregnant people are the most likely to get seriously ill from listeria.
If listeriosis spreads beyond the gut, it’s called invasive listeriosis. During pregnancy, invasive listeriosis can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
In other high-risk groups, invasive listeriosis can cause serious illness or death.
Invasive listeriosis can cause the following symptoms:
Fever
Muscle aches
Headache
Stiff neck
Confusion
Loss of balance
Seizures
Sometimes these symptoms occur after diarrhea or other stomach distress.
If you’re in a high risk group and you experience flu-like symptoms within two months of eating potentially contaminated food, you should get medical care and explain your potential exposure.
