Overview

• Federal inspectors added Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs & Marinara (Walmart) and Trader Joe’s Cajun-Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo to a public health alert covering late-September best-by dates through Oct. 1.
• The CDC reports 20 illnesses across 15 states with 19 hospitalizations and four deaths, including one in Utah, and notes one pregnancy-associated illness that resulted in a fetal loss.
• FreshRealm said product testing detected Listeria in linguine, and federal whole-genome sequencing linked the strain to the outbreak first identified in June involving chicken fettuccine Alfredo meals sold at Walmart and Kroger.
• Investigators and company statements indicate the likely source is pre-cooked pasta supplied by Nate’s Fine Foods, and retailers have removed implicated items from shelves.
• Health agencies urge consumers to discard or return affected meals and to clean refrigerators and freezers because Listeria can survive at cold temperatures as the probe continues.