Pre-cooked pasta sold in popular supermarkets is being recalled

Six people have died in a national Listeria outbreak tied to pre-cooked pasta meals sold at major grocery chains. Listeriosis, a serious infection from Listeria bacteria, often sends patients to the hospital.

The outbreak includes 27 illnesses in 18 states, with the most recent illness reported on Oct. 16, 2025. Officials say some recalled items were sold at Walmart and Trader Joe’s.

Finding Listeria in pasta

The effort is led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its investigators work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

In a recent update, the agency reported two additional deaths and seven new illnesses. Patients tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, the germ that causes listeriosis.

Illnesses span from August 2024 to mid October 2025, which explains why new reports can appear after recalls. One pregnancy associated illness resulted in a fetal loss, underscoring the stakes for families.

CDC teams are still confirming what each sick person ate before falling ill. They are also checking whether additional foods share the outbreak strain.

Linking Listeria to pasta

According to the FDA’s outbreak investigation, whole genome sequencing, a method that reads bacterial DNA, connected pasta ingredients to the same bacterial strain seen in patients. Which allows labs to match food samples to people.

FreshRealm tested individual ingredients used in its “heat and eat” meals. Linguine supplied by Nate’s Fine Foods tested positive for the outbreak strain.

Several meal kits built around that pasta were pulled from stores as a precaution. One example on federal lists is “Trader Joe’s cajun style blackened chicken breast fettucine alfredo”

Another example appears as “marketside linguine with beef meatballs & marinara sauce.” Nate’s Fine Foods does not sell directly to shoppers, so downstream producers issued recalls cited in federal notices.

Where the risk hits hardest

Pregnant people, older adults, and those with weakened immunity face the highest risk. For pregnant patients, even mild illness can threaten the fetus.

Symptoms can start the same day or take up to 10 weeks to appear, which can complicate tracing exposure. CDC details the most common symptoms, including fever, muscle aches, headache, and confusion.

Doctors watch closely for invasive disease when the bacteria spread beyond the intestines. Invasive listeriosis, a severe form that reaches the blood or brain, can be life threatening.

These high risk groups should contact a clinician promptly if they ate recalled foods and feel unwell. Early care matters because antibiotics can shorten illness and prevent complications.

What you can do now

Check your refrigerator and freezer for recalled meal trays that include pre cooked pasta. Do not taste test suspect items, return them or discard them immediately.

Clean refrigerator shelves and any containers that touched recalled foods. This pathogen can grow at typical refrigerator temperatures, which is unusual for bacteria that cause foodborne illness.

Heat leftovers thoroughly, including sauces, until they are steaming hot. Keep raw and ready to eat foods separate, use clean utensils, and refrigerate within two hours.

Use a refrigerator thermometer and keep it at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Label leftovers with dates so they do not linger beyond safe holding times.

Why this outbreak matters

Pre cooked pasta becomes risky when it is chilled, handled after cooking, and packed with dairy rich sauces. Long refrigerated shelf life gives bacteria more time to multiply if contamination slips through.

Linking cases across 18 states took detailed lab and record work. Those links show how a single ingredient supplier can seed many brands and products.

Public health teams used traceback, the step by step review of supply records, to follow the pasta through factories and distributors. That process helps officials decide where to focus testing and which products to pull.

The pasta ingredient also turned up in deli salads and frozen bowls sold under different names. That spread explains why agencies keep updating notices as more labels surface on store records.

What to watch in the coming weeks

FDA and CDC continue to test foods and environments connected to production sites. More brands or lot codes could be named as additional data arrive.

FSIS monitors meat and poultry containing meals that are regulated under USDA authority. That includes some chicken pasta dishes that share the implicated noodles.

Consumers should not assume a product is safe because it looks fresh. Ready to eat items can carry risk if post cooking steps allow contamination.

If your household includes someone in a high risk group, consider heating refrigerated ready meals until steaming. That simple step can reduce exposure during an active investigation.

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