A nationwide recall has been issued for premade chicken pasta meals sold at Walmart and Kroger stores after a listeria outbreak linked to 17 cases across 13 states. Three people have died and over a dozen others were sickened in the outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The contaminated products, made by FreshRealm, include Marketside grilled chicken Alfredo with fettuccine tender pasta and Home Chef “Heat & Eat” chicken fettuccine Alfredo. The meals were sold in refrigerated sections at Kroger and Walmart under various brand names.
Health officials are still investigating the source of the outbreak but have warned that listeria can survive in refrigerators and spread to other foods and surfaces. They urge people not to eat the recalled meals and to clean fridges, containers, and other surfaces that may have come into contact with them.
This is not an isolated incident; listeriosis affects around 1,600 people in the US each year, resulting in about 260 fatal cases. In recent months, similar recalls have been issued for baked goods and frozen shakes due to listeria contamination concerns.
The recalled meals are no longer available for purchase, and FreshRealm has shut down production temporarily. Food inspectors found this strain of listeria in sickened people from August 2024 to last month, suggesting that the outbreak may be linked to a manufacturing issue at one of FreshRealm’s locations.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/business/chicken-fettuccine-alfredo-recall-walmart-kroger.html