Ready-to-Eat Pasta Sold at Trader Joe's and Walmart May Be Linked to Deadly Listeria Outbreak

Ready-to-eat pasta meals are perfect for busy weeknights, but check the label on yours before warming it up for dinner tonight. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert for select ready-to-eat meals containing a regulated pre-cooked pasta that may be contaminated with listeria.

According to the FSIS, the products included in the alert were sold at Walmart locations nationwide and at Trader Joe's stores in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The agency urges consumers to check their refrigerators and freezers for the following items:

• Sold at Walmart: 12-oz. clear plastic tray packages labeled "MARKETSIDE LINGUINE WITH BEEF MEATBALLS & MARINARA SAUCE" with "best if used by" dates SEP 22, 2025; SEP 24, 2025; SEP 25, 2025; SEP 29, 2025; SEP 30, 2025; and OCT 01, 2025. The product bears establishment number "EST. 50784" or "EST. 47718" inside the USDA mark of inspection.
• Sold at Trader Joe's: 16-oz. plastic tray packages labeled "TRADER JOE'S CAJUN STYLE BLACKENED CHICKEN BREAST FETTUCINE ALFREDO" with "best if used by" dates 9/20/2025, 9/24/2025, or 9/27/2025 printed on the front label of the packaging. The product bears establishment number "P- 45288" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

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This alert follows a June recall of ready-to-eat chicken fettuccine Alfredo linked to a listeria outbreak. Per the FSIS, the issue with the meals sold at Walmart and Trader Joe's was first detected when one of the producing companies of the pre-cooked pasta used in these items collected samples and found the linguine was positive for listeria. Further testing is underway to confirm if this strain is genetically related to the June strain, which has been linked to four deaths and 19 hospitalizations.

Consuming food contaminated with listeria can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that mainly affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and gastrointestinal issues. Per the FSIS, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.

To avoid potential infections, check your refrigerator or freezer for the products and throw them away or return them to the place of purchase immediately. Consumers with questions related to the public health alert can contact Nate's Fine Foods at 916-677-7303 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.