Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: A multistate outbreak is under investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS).The outbreak is linked to prepared meals (frozen and ready-to-eat) containing pre-cooked pasta (fettucine, linguine, farfalle) produced by Nate's Fine Foods, Inc. and supplied to various brands/retailers.The latest update (October 30-31, 2025) indicates there were 27 illnesses reported across 18 states, 25 hospitalizations, six deaths so far (two of the most recent deaths were in Hawaii and Oregon), and one pregnancy-associated illness resulting in fetal loss.Illness onset dates range from August 6, 2024, through October 16, 2025.The recalled products were distributed nationwide through major retailers (e.g., Walmart, Kroger, Trader Joe's, Albertsons, Sprouts).Listeria monocytogenes is dangerous, especially for certain high-risk populations: pregnant people, newborns, older adults (65 + ), and immunocompromised individuals.Unlike many bacteria, Listeria can grow at refrigerator temperatures, which puts ready-to-eat foods (especially refrigerated/frozen) at higher risk if contaminated and improperly stored.The length of incubation can be long (from same day up to 10 weeks), making it harder to link exposure and illness.Earlier in the year, the CDC announced that the FoodNet program will reduce its required pathogen surveillance from eight pathogens down to only two ( Salmonella and Shiga toxinproducing Escherichia coli ).The FDA also suspended its proficiency testing/quality-control program for food testing labs under the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN).The reduction (from eight to two pathogens) was effective from July 1, 2025, for the required surveillance change in FoodNet.Pathogens that are no longer required (under the "core" list) are: Campylobacter , Cyclospora , Listeria monocytogenes , Shigella , Vibrio , and Yersinia .
Source: Journal of Food Science
Author: James Giese
Language: English
Subfield: Biotechnology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4417431506
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