A twelfth person has died in connection to a multi-state listeria outbreak linked to frozen supplemental shakes served primarily in long-term care facilities.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a recall earlier this week of the frozen supplemental shakes manufactured by Prairie Farms and distributed by Lyons Magnus, due to a potential contamination of listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that can cause serious infections.
The FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with local authorities, are now investigating illness associated with recalled products. As of Feb.24, a total of 38 people across 21 states have been affected with the strain connected to this outbreak. Among those with available health information, 37 have been hospitalized, and 12 have died.
The recalled products were distributed nationwide in the U.S. and sold in 4 oz cartons under the Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco (SYY+0.79%) Imperial brands in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors. The FDA recommended that any distributors and food service providers — including hospitals and long-term care facilities — that have purchased the affected shakes should not sell or serve them. Additionally, any surfaces or containers that touched the recalled shakes must be carefully cleaned and sanitized.
“Lyons Magnus’ utmost concern is protecting consumers. As soon as Lyons Magnus learned of the issue, we took immediate action to halt the purchase of all products from the affected Prairie Farms facility, notify customers, and ensure that impacted products were removed from distribution nationally,” the company said in statement.
Prairie Farms did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Quartz.
The recalled shakes have a best by date between Feb. 21, 2025 and Feb. 21, 2026.
Listeria monocytogenes can cause serious listeriosis infections in young children, elderly people, and people with weakened immune systems. The FDA warned that listeria infections could cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.
Even among healthy people, a listeria infection can lead to symptoms including high fever, headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
An estimated 1,600 people in the U.S. get listeriosis every year, with about 260 annual fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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