Four people have died in a listeria outbreak linked to frozen meals sold at Walmart and Kroger stores, and the feds have issued an urgent new warning about similar products that may have the same bacteria.
The outbreak has sickened at least 20 people across 15 states, with all but one of the cases resulting in hospitalizations. The number of deaths from the contamination had risen to four as of Friday, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While the investigation is ongoing, the listeria outbreak has been linked to a June recall of ready-to-eat meals made by FreshRealm.
The manufacturer found that pre-cooked pasta in its chicken fettuccine Alfredo meals tested positive for listeria.
The products were sold nationwide at Walmart and Kroger stores under the brand names Marketside and Home Chef.
“The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority. We have removed these products from our impacted stores and we are working with the supplier to investigate,” a Walmart spokesperson told The Post.
Kroger did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
On Thursday, the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert about two additional products.
It urged customers not to eat Trader Joe’s Cajun-style blackened chicken breast fettuccine Alfredo or Marketside linguine with beef meatballs, which was made by FreshRealm and sold at Walmart.
“FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers,” the safety agency said in a statement. “These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”
Trader Joe’s warned customers on its website to ditch or return the chicken product.
“At Trader Joe’s, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our customers and Crew Members,” a Trader Joe’s spokesperson told The Post.
Consuming tainted products can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that’s especially harmful to older adults, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women and their newborns, according to FSIS.
Symptoms of the infection include fever, muscle aches, headaches, stiff neck, convulsions and diarrhea. Listeriosis can be fatal to people with weak immune systems.
In pregnant women, the condition can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infections of their newborns.
FreshRealm detected the listeria strain in its linguine with beef meatballs during testing. The bacteria was found in the pre-cooked pasta, which was supplied by a third party, according to the company.
Authorities are awaiting additional information to determine if the listeria-positive pasta samples carry the same strain that’s been making people sick, according to the CDC.
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