By now, America has accepted that convenience food is probably going to kill us one day. But, like, slowly, over decades.
Lately, it’s doing it faster, thanks to our now-annual deadly listeria outbreaks. The latest deadly listeria outbreak is tied to pre-cooked pasta meals sold at Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Kroger, and various Albertson’s-owned chains.
It has already killed four people and hospitalized at least 20 across 15 states. The epicenters for the outbreak are Texas, Michigan, Louisiana, and California. The world is such a mess that not even Cajun-style fettuccine is safe anymore.
Health Alert Issued for Walmart and Trader Joe’s Meals Amid Listeria Outbreak
The contamination traces back to Nate’s Fine Foods, a supplier whose name you’ll never find on the label but is one of many behind-the-scenes companies responsible for the food on grocery store shelves. They produce pasta meals for FreshRealm, another behind-the-scenes food company, which then sells the goods under private-label brands to major retailers.
You know all of those delicious snacks, treats, and premade meals that set Trader Joe’s apart from the rest of the grocery chains? They don’t make them themselves. Smaller companies, like Nate’s Fine Foods, are behind them all.
Trader Joe’s puts its own label on them. That’s how most store-brand products come to be.
So, when you picked up that Trader Joe’s Cajun Style Blackened Chicken Breast Fettuccine Alfredo, you were actually biting into a multi-corporate creation, and one of those companies decided to mix in a little Listeria monocytogenes as a secret ingredient.
The outbreak strain was first detected back in March 2025 during a routine inspection at a FreshRealm facility. But the timeline of infections spans almost a year, from August 2024 to May 2025. The recall didn’t begin until June.
That means people were unknowingly microwaving potentially lethal diarrhea bombs for nearly ten months before health officials did anything about it. Could it be because we have fewer health officials than we used to? Quite possibly.
Here’s what to look for in your fridge and immediately throw in the trash:
- Trader Joe’s: Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (best-by dates ranging from Sept 20 to Oct 10, 2025)
- Walmart: Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs & Marinara (best-by between Sept 22 – Oct 1, 2025)
- Walmart/Kroger: Marketside and Home Chef Chicken Alfredo variants (best-by June 27, 2025, or earlier)
- Albertson’s stores: Pasta salads under a variety of house brands, including Safeway, Vons, and Tom Thumb.
Each of these products may display establishment numbers, such as “EST. 50784” or “EST. P-47718,” so look out for them. If you think you may have purchased one of these products and you haven’t eaten it, the CDC advises that you continue not to eat it.
If you’ve already eaten it and feel like s**t, go to the doctor. Listeria isn’t a run-of-the-mill case of the runs. It can mess with your nervous system, and it’s hazardous for pregnant people, newborns, and the immunocompromised.
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