Pre-cooked pasta meals sold at Walmart and Trader Joe's may be contaminated with listeria. (Credit: USDA)
Federal health officials are urging consumers to discard or return certain ready-to-eat pasta meals sold at Walmart and Trader Joe’s after the products were linked to a deadly listeria outbreak.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert for Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs & Marinara Sauce, sold in 12-ounce clear trays at Walmart, and Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo, sold in 16-ounce trays. Both products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, preliminary testing tied the Walmart-branded linguine meals to a previous outbreak that has spread to 15 states. Regulators said genome sequencing confirmed the strain matched samples from chicken alfredo meals recalled in June by FreshRealm, the company that produced both dishes.
“It is also the same strain of Listeria that is linked to causing illnesses in this outbreak,” the FDA said in an update Monday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the outbreak has killed four people and sickened at least 20 others nationwide. Officials said listeria can be especially dangerous for pregnant women, seniors, and people with weakened immune systems, leading to miscarriages, stillbirths or life-threatening infections in newborns. In general populations, symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, stiff neck, confusion, and loss of balance.
The Marketside meals under alert carry “best if used by” dates between Sept. 22 and Oct. 1, 2025, with establishment numbers “EST. 50784” or “EST. 47718” printed inside the USDA inspection mark. The Trader Joe’s meals list “best by” dates of Sept. 20, 24 or 27, along with inspection mark “P-45288.”
Both FSIS and CDC advised consumers not to eat the affected products and to dispose of them immediately or return them to the store of purchase. While items have been pulled from shelves, officials warned they may still be in home refrigerators or freezers.
For more details, consumers can visit the CDC.
