A listeria outbreak that federal health officials say has spread to 18 states, killing a half-dozen people and causing more than two dozen hospitalizations, has been linked to pasta dishes available at stores including Trader Joe's and Walmart.
A national food safety investigation into the outbreak found that the illness originated from recalled dishes made from pasta products from a Northern California company.
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14:30. November 6, 2025An earlier version of this article stated that the listeriosis outbreak was linked to frozen pasta. Some foods are stored in the refrigerator rather than frozen.
As of late October, the outbreak had killed six people and sickened 27 others, most of whom were hospitalized. according to latest update from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In one case, a pregnant woman suffered a miscarriage after falling ill, the agency said.
The prepared pasta was sold in grocery chains across the country; In addition to Trader Joe's and Walmart, they were available at Kroger, Sprouts Farmers Market and other major grocery stores.
The supplier, Roseville-based Nate's Fine Foods Inc., expanded the list of recalled products in September and again in October.
Nate's Fine Foods said in a statement on its website that it was recalling the products out of an “abundance of caution” and that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration conducted extensive testing at its facility, but the results were negative.
“To date, no government agency has found any evidence of the specific strain of Listeria monocytogenes identified during the outbreak through extensive testing at the Nate's Fine Foods facility or in products under its jurisdiction,” the company said in a statement Tuesday.
The outbreak began in June, leading to a recall of Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo made by another company, FreshRealm Inc.
FreshRealm began testing pasta samples that tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes in September. The pasta supplier was Nate's Fine Foods. According to the US Food and Drug Administration.
The recalled products, with expiration dates in late September and early October, included Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs and Marinara Sauce sold at Walmart and Cajun Black Chicken Breast Fettuccine from Trader Joe's.
Items with expiration dates of mid to late October included Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad from Sprouts Farmers Market and Scott & Jon's Scampi Shrimp with Linguine Bowl, pre-prepared frozen meals.
