Health News -HEALTHLINE.COM
- The USDA and FDA are warning consumers to throw away prepared pasta meals available at several national retailers, including Trader Joe’s, due to potential Listeria contamination.
- The latest health warning is part of a growing national Listeria outbreak that has been under investigation since June.
- So far, the CDC has reported 20 cases of Listeria infection and four deaths tied to the prepared meals.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) recently issued an alert about ready-to-eat pasta meals contaminated with Listeria.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been investigatingTrusted Source the Listeria outbreak in pasta meals since June.
The pasta meals are sold at several national retailers, including Albertsons, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, and Kroger. The supplier, Nate’s Fine Foods, is recalling certain lots of its pre-cooked pasta.
The FDA identified five affected products:
- Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo, 16 oz.
- Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce, 12 oz.
- Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine, 12.3 oz.
- Marketside Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Fettuccine, 32.8 oz.
- Home Chef Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, 12.5 oz.
- Scott & Jon’s Shrimp Scampi with Linguini Bowls, 9.6 oz.
Albertsons deli items made with bowtie pasta are also being recalled due to possible Listeria contamination. The company is voluntarily pulling these products from shelves.
The FSIS alert is the latest development in a nationwide outbreak first detected. Since then, additional contaminated products have been identified, most recently Trader Joe’s Fettuccine Alfredo and Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce.
FreshRealm, the manufacturer of the chicken fettuccine alfredo meals, began testing ingredients in its meals following the FDA’s initial investigation. Testing of the affected products indicates they are linked to the same outbreak, showing the presence of genetically related strains of Listeria monocytogenes.
“Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our products,” A FreshRealm spokesperson told Healthline.
“We actively test environmental samples from our facilities, which are consistently negative for Listeria, as well as products and ingredients received from ingredient suppliers. When we identified Listeria in an ingredient we received from a third-party supplier, we promptly notified the supplier and government regulators at the USDA and FDA,” the spokesperson continued.
Trader Joe’s has issued a statement about the recall online, writing that although no food products have tested positive for Listeria, they are recalling the product “in an abundance of caution.”
“At Trader Joe’s, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our customers and Crew Members… We voluntarily take action quickly, aggressively investigating potential problems and removing the product from sale if there is any doubt about its safety or quality,” a Trader Joe’s representative told Healthline.
Healthline reached out to Nate’s Fine Foods, but the company couldn’t be reached for comment.
So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the outbreak is linked to 20 confirmed cases of listeriosis and four deathsTrusted Source. The affected products were distributed nationwide, and cases have been reported in 15 states, including California, Texas, Louisiana, Illinois, and Michigan.
“People really do need to take these warnings seriously,” said John Schieffelin, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Tulane University.
“For certain groups of people, this is really a very serious disease. Make sure that you don’t have those products in their household. If you do, toss them in the trash. It’s not worth it,” he added.
While most of these products are no longer available for sale, consumers are advised to check their refrigerators and freezers for the recalled products and either throw them away or return them to the store where they were purchased. The FDA’s websiteTrusted Source provides detailed lot numbers and expiration dates for affected products.
What is listeriosis?
Listeriosis is an infection caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. In the United States, Listeria ranks as the third leading cause of deathTrusted Source from foodborne illness, after Salmonella and Toxoplasma gondii.
Each year in the United States, about 1,250 people are diagnosed with listeriosis. The infection is serious and can be deadly. Nearly all cases require hospitalization, and about one in five patients dieTrusted Source.
Less severe symptoms of listeriosis generally resolve in 1–3 days and typically include:
- fever
- nausea and vomiting
- diarrhea
- muscle ache
More severe, potentially life-threatening symptoms include:
- headaches, neck stiffness
- confusion, loss of balance
- convulsions
Healthy people can get infected, but they rarely become seriously ill. Those at highest risk include pregnant women, newborns, adults age 65 and older, and people with weakened immune systems.
“Listeria is another very atypical type of food poisoning. You can get meningitis, you can get seizures, you can have a loss of your faculties, like balancing or walking. You can have an altered mental status. All of that is related to the fact that you’re having an infection that’s affecting your brain,” said Rais Vohra, MD, medical director at California Poison Control and professor of clinical emergency medicine at the University of California San Francisco.
Listeriosis is up to 20 times more common in pregnant people than in the general population. The infection can cross the placenta and infect the fetus. About one in four pregnancy-related cases result in miscarriage or stillbirth, according to the CDCTrusted Source.
“The other thing that’s challenging about listeriosis is that it really requires very specific antibiotics. A lot of the antibiotics that you would generally get put on if you show up to the emergency room with diarrhea won’t work for it.,” said Schieffelin.
If you develop any of the above symptoms or think you may have eaten a contaminated product, contact your healthcare provider right away. Early testing and treatment for listeriosis can help prevent serious illness.